Sunday night’s American Idol got a bit of a shake-up with judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie away, and Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette filling in for them. 

Katy and Lionel weren’t completely missing though, the pair appeared virtually to explain the absence when they, along with viewers, received a royal surprise.

In the pre-taped segment, the Idol judges explained that they were in London to perform at The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle when King Charles III and Queen Camilla wandered into the room.

“I just wanted to check how long you’ll be using this room for,” King Charles III said.  

“We have to give the room up right away,” Richie, 73, joked.

The King and Queen then complimented the singers on their “brilliant” and “fantastic” performances from earlier in the day. Katy performed her hits “Roar” and “Firework” for Saturday’s crowd, while Lionel sang his classic “All Night Long.”

Meanwhile, back in the U.S., Ed and Alanis filled in as guest judges on Idol, joining Luke Bryan. 

Both guests took a moment during the show to take the stage to perform their own songs. Ed took the stage to perform his single “Eyes Closed,” which appears on his newly released album Subtract, and Alanis amazed the crowd with her performance of “Thank U.”

In addition to being a guest judge, Alanis pulled double duty as this week’s mentor.

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