Dame Shirley Bassey has said she would have been “delighted” to perform a duet with Sir Tom Jones at the Queen’s Jubilee concert, but was unable to attend due to her schedule.
The 85-year-old Welsh singer has explained why she was absent from the BBC’s Platinum Party at the Palace in June, after recent reports speculated she had refused to collaborate with fellow Welsh singer Sir Tom, as she wanted her own spot.
In a statement, Dame Shirley said she had been offered a solo appearance but was not able to travel to the UK at the time.
She said: “Newspaper reports this morning suggested that I had refused to perform at the Queen’s Platinum Party because I was unhappy at not being offered a solo appearance.
“This is entirely untrue. I was offered a solo appearance and would have been delighted to have done a duet with Sir Tom, but my schedule simply did not, at the time, allow me to travel to the UK.
“Through the years I have been honoured to perform at her majesty’s golden and diamond Jubilee, 90th birthday celebrations and Royal Variety performances. Here’s to many more!”
The Jubilee concert, staged in front of Buckingham Palace, featured a star-studded line-up including performances from Sir Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, Duran Duran and Queen + Adam Lambert.
It also included live speeches by the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge.
The BBC said the Platinum Party at the Palace was the most watched programme of the year up to that date, with a peak viewing figure of 13.4 million, and an average audience of 11.2 million.