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Eurovision 2023 stage revealed as King Charles and Camilla pay visit to Liverpool ahead of song contest

The stage is set for next month’s Eurovision Song Contest, with the King and Queen Consort publicly unveiling the stage design on a visit to Liverpool Arena.

The royals were seen laughing and joking with Eurovision commentators Rylan and Scott Mills, also meeting presenters Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina, as preparations continue for the world’s largest live music event.

As well as meeting the staff, creative team and apprentices who are getting the Arena ready, the royals also had words of encouragement for British Eurovision entrant Mae Muller, who is hoping to replicate the success of last year’s second-placed UK entrant Sam Ryder.

“We’ll be watching with great interest, egging you on,” the King said, before the Queen Consort added: “No nul points!”

“As long as I can get up there and say it’s the best I’ve ever done it, I’ll be pleased,” Muller said.

They were then invited to switch on the lights in the arena, revealing the sprawling stage that has been custom-built for the contest, designed by Julio Himede.

The stage includes 220 square metres of “independently moving and turning video screens”, plu more than 700 video tiles integrated into the floor, and more than 1,500 metres of LED lights.

Eurovision is set to kick off in Liverpool with the first semi-final on 9 May – just three days after King Charles’ coronation – before the Grand Final on 13 May.

(Photo: BBC)

Eurovision managing director Martin Green said: “We are thrilled the King and the Queen Consort have unveiled this landmark moment for 2023 Eurovision.

“It has been a fantastic collaboration between all our partners and the BBC to get to this point and now the stage is officially set to capture everyone’s imaginations and bring together audiences from across the world.”

Tim Davie, BBC director-general, added: “It is an honour that His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort have come here today to reveal the fantastic staging for our Eurovision Song Contest programming.

“This set will be the focal point for all of the celebrations and we cannot wait to see it lighting up Liverpool and TV screens across the world.”

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort meet the presenters of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, Scott Mills, Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Rylan Clark (Photo: Phil Noble/Pool)
Britain's King Charles III (R) and Britain's Queen Consort Camilla (C) meet UK's Eurovision contestant Mae Muller during a visit to M&S Bank Arena, the host venue of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, in Liverpool on April 26, 2023. (Photo by PHIL NOBLE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla meet UK’s Eurovision contestant Mae Muller (Photo: Phil Noble/AFP via Getty)

While in Liverpool, the royal couple also filmed a segment for Blue Peter, and were surprised with their own Gold Blue Peter badges – the King for his environmental work and advocating for young people through the Prince’s Trust, and the Queen Consort for her work highlighting the importance of literacy and reading from a young age.

The final batch of Eurovision tickets sold out in minutes earlier this week, and accommodation prices in the city have soared amid a surge in interest as the contest, which will be the first since 1998 to be hosted in the UK.

Dozens of cultural events are set to take place in addition to the contest itself, celebrating the heritage of both Liverpool and 2022 Eurovision winners Ukraine.

Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The chance to host a global spectacle like the Eurovision Song Contest is an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often – especially for a city in the UK.

“As an international event that attracts guests, media and attention from around the world, we’re expecting thousands upon thousands of visitors to descend on the Liverpool City Region next month for a week-long celebration of music, dance, fun and frivolity.

“The £2m that the Combined Authority is contributing towards the staging of Eurovision is just a fraction of the economic return we expect to see from the event, which is predicted to inject £25m into the city region economy in May alone. But the intangible contribution of broadcasting our brand to an international audience could be invaluable.”

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