Charles always makes the same joke about one of my songs, says Lionel Ritchie as he opens up about friendship with King

MEETING King Charles is a nerve-racking time for most big stars, many of whom practise their bows and ­curtseys long before.

But Lionel Richie, a close pal of our monarch, reveals the King likes to have a laugh with him every time they meet — including joking about one of the American superstar’s best-known songs.

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“He comes into the room and he goes, ‘Hello . . . is it me you’re looking for?’,” Lionel says with a laugh, as we sit down for an exclusive chat.

“It’s always that one line he will come up with.

“He has a great sense of humour. A lot of people don’t know that part of him, but he is quite funny.”

Last year, Lionel, 75 — who is touring the UK in 2025 — ­was one of the star performers at The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle to celebrate King Charles III taking the throne.

His voice filled with pride, Lionel says: “There are moments in your career when you go, ‘Let me pinch myself one more time’, and this was one.

“King Charles and I have known each other for a very long time, and the thing about it is, to see him go from a prince to a king is an exciting moment in my life — and certainly in his life.

“But to be in the crowd, to be a part of it, is the part that I thought was so amazing.

‘I’m nosy about future’

“Just to be a kid from Tuskegee, Alabama, and ­sitting in Westminster Abbey — it was quite a grand occasion and one I will never forget.”

When I ask if they are pen pals, as I assume Charles is not on WhatsApp like the rest of us, Lionel replies: “Well, the good news is that, yes, we ­communicate by writing.

“He is still a great writer. If I say something, he will respond in terms of a note.

“We have to consider I have been famous for most of my life, while he has been famous for all of his life. You are talking about such a responsibility.

“To see anyone still enjoying their life and being real . . . believe it or not, the King is a real person, he’s a real person and God bless him.”

It’s not surprising the King is a fan of Lionel, as the singer has shifted more than 125million records worldwide thanks to an epic back catalogue including megahits All Night Long and Hello.

But despite being over 40 years into his career, Lionel has no plans to slow down.

And he will hit the road again next summer as he kicks off the UK leg of his tour of Europe, starting on June 4 in Glasgow.

The Say Hello To The Hits gigs are part of his first arena tour here since 2016.

Lionel says: “I am using Mick Jagger as my ­example of when to come off stage.

“He doesn’t look like he is going off stage any time soon. So, as far as I am concerned, as long as I can get on stage, run the stage and then get off the stage by myself, I will be doing this for a long time.

“I have the Italian race car driver’s theory. What is behind me doesn’t count — it’s what is in front of me, what am I going to do next?

He has a great sense of humour. A lot of people don’t know that part of him, but he is quite funny

Lionel Richie

“I am nosy about what the future is going to be.

“As time goes on, you realise there’s movies and television and touring. I am constantly trying to think of the next thing. You have to plan and work on it.

“I lucked out with half the problem already because the songs and the catalogue survived the test of time.”

The man in front of me is practically Peter Pan — buzzing with energy and excitement about the future.

Lionel explains: “I am so excited about this tour. I have been touring since 1971. So if I don’t get out of the house, I don’t feel like I have had a full year.”

He adds of his age: “They start calling off this number and I’m like, ‘Who, me?’. I have always tried to hold on to the child inside.

“I have always been a believer in, ‘Don’t lose the child’. A lot of my friends couldn’t wait to grow up. I hear the number but it has nothing to do with my body.”

He jokes: “They keep saying ‘Happy Birthday’. If they say it to me one more time I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.”

While some artists barely half his age — including Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande, both 31 — openly dislike touring the globe, Lionel cannot get enough of it.

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He says: “I love life on the road. It is very difficult to tell people to get away from me when they start a conversation saying, ‘I love you’.

“I found that I am now a citizen of the world, so when I get to Sheffield or Birmingham or Manchester, people say to me, ‘Welcome home Lionel, I love you’.

“We are talking 40 or 50 years later. I don’t take it for granted for one moment.

“I still get the same buzz walking out on stage, if not better.

“When you first start out, you are kind of like, ‘Yeah, I got a hit record, this is going to be ­for ever’ — and then, as time goes on, you see where ­artists’ records don’t perform well and they don’t last long.

My hobby, the thing I did to chill out, is what I do for a living. I go out on stage and perform — that is everything to me

Lionel Richie

“Then here we are, 40 years later. It’s the same enthusiasm as when I had the record the first time. I lucked out in life. My hobby, the thing I did to chill out, is what I do for a living. I go out on stage and perform — that is everything to me.”

While he is not afraid to enjoy life, it is clear Lionel values his health and prioritises sleep and fitness over partying All Night Long.

A nice glass of red, for example, is more of a treat then a daily occurrence.

Lionel smiles and reveals: “The most important thing is sleep. The hardest word you will ever have to say in this business is, ‘Goodnight’.

“I had to learn that, way back, with The Commodores.

“There is always a party happening in every city and, if you are the lead singer, you can’t just plug in and perform.

“You can do that with your guitar or your drums, but the vocals all have to come from sleep, so I am the only one who is the party pooper.

“I’m the one who says, ‘OK guys, I’ve got to go. I will see you tomorrow’.

“If I can get eight hours’ sleep, I’m smoking. If I can get ten, I am singing like a bird.”

After I tell him I find it almost impossible to say no to a free party, Lionel adds: “I’m telling you, Jack, the hardest thing to say is ‘Goodnight’.

“You would be in that category. But once you walk out on stage and you can’t sing, you will change your tune — it will sober you up really quick.

“When we first started out, you are bulletproof. You can stay up all night, you can drink whatever you want — you can do anything.

“As time goes on, you realise how lucky you are that you didn’t destroy yourself in the younger years.

“A lot of people make bad habits and bad mistakes and, by the time they get to 30 or 40, they can’t ­perform any more.

“I am the protector of the body at this stage. I ­realise that there is only one name up on the ­marquee and it says ‘Lionel Richie’, so I have got to protect myself from myself.”

‘Can I have a hug?’

It’s clear from the outset that Lionel cannot wait to get back on the road and see his UK fans. But one thing he will not be trying out is our questionable public transport.

After I tell him I was almost late for our interview after being stuck on London’s Tube, he chuckles: “I haven’t been on the Tube in years.

“I did it one time in the last 50 years — I went over to the O2, but then I realised that I am like a postcard walking across the street.

“What is Lionel Richie doing on the Tube? Everyone has a camera. There used to be a time when all they wanted was an autograph and nobody would know you were there. Now everyone wants a photo.”

Refreshingly frank about a lifetime in the spotlight, he adds: “There is a period when you go, ‘Look at me, look at me, look at me’, and that’s when you don’t have any hit records.

“Then you finally have a hit record or two and you go, ‘Don’t look at me, don’t look at me’ — and then, as time goes on, you go, ‘Why aren’t you looking at me?’.

“The other thing that is happening now  — forget the cameras, forget the phones — everyone now says, ‘Can I have a hug?’.”

My problem is that once I get to one pub, I am pretty much done on the first pub

Lionel Richie

He adds: “The biggest problem I’ve had travelling? Someone once said to me, ‘Let’s go to a pub’, and I’ve got to tell you, every time I go to a pub, they tell me what a great time we had.

“I don’t remember a damn thing. To this day, I still test myself here and I say, ‘Can we survive the pub one more time?’.”

Here is a topic I feel we can bond on, so I ask what he makes of the great British pub crawl — and then have to explain what it is.

Lionel laughs and says: “Let me tell you, that probably won’t happen. My problem is that once I get to one pub, I am pretty much done on the first pub.

“The word ‘crawl’ means I will sleep. I am out. I am going home.”

But by the end of our chat, the crooner seems to have warmed to the idea, adding: “Well, Jack, I hope to see you when the tour gets there. Somewhere between bar-crawling and otherwise.

“I hope maybe we don’t have to crawl, but we can grab a drink somewhere. That’s a deal, man.”

• Tickets for Say Hello To The Hits tour go on sale on Friday.