Royal fans praise King's coronation singer for 'stealing the show'

Move over King Charles, there's an operatic Queen in town.

South African soprano Pretty Yende blew viewers away with her performance at the coronation service earlier today (Saturday, 6 May).

One said: "South African Soprano singer @PrettyYende blowing me away with her stunning voice at the Coronation."

Another added: "SPECTACULAR shoulder pads and drop earrings on this opera singer. Big fan. Also excellently applied lipgloss."

A third joked: "Hard luck if you're sat behind or to the left or right of this fabulous singer in the abbey during the #Coronation coz you won't get to see anything."

A fourth added: "It's HER Coronation now, baby!"

"Queen Pretty Yende has a nice ring to it," another echoed.

And a final resolved: "Singer in the Abbey trying to steal the show #Coronation."

In an interview, recorded prior to her performance at the coronation service and shared by Twitter account UK in South Africa, Yende opened up about how she felt to be chosen for the occasion.

She said: "One can only wonder that this moment will come and this girl from South Africa will be handpicked by His Majesties to come and perform.

"So it means the world to me. And as an artist, I get a dream come true.

"To have my gift to be heard by as many, many, many people as possible. Because when I learned about opera, all I ever wanted was to share it with as many souls as possible."

Yende concluded by noting what a 'huge honour' it is to perform at the coronation.

"As a South African, it is [...] proof that our talents, our gifts are valid and are actually accepted in this incredible platform on the global stage," she said.

"And I can only imagine how many girls are there in South Africa saying that if she can do it and she is there me too, I will do my journey and allow my gift to be heard as well."