Gay Aussie Singer Anthony Callea To Headline Queen Elizabeth’s Memorial Service At Parliament House

ARIA Award winner and former Australian Idol star Anthony Callea will sing at the memorial service for Queen Elizabeth at Parliament House on Thursday.  Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Sky News on Sunday. 

The Prime Minister said that the farewell to Queen Elizabeth II would be led by TV presenter Melissa Doyle and Opposition leader Peter Dutton would be among those who would deliver short remarks at the service.

Following the state funeral for the Queen on Monday, Australia will mark Thursday as the National Day of Mourning.

“It will be an opportunity to mourn as a nation.  An important day to pay tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II,” PM Albanese told Sky News. 

‘Prayer’

𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 🕊
Tʜᴇ Eɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴀɴ Eʀᴀ 🕊 𝖵𝖠𝖫𝖤 QUEEN ELIZABETH II, Rᴇsᴛ Iɴ Pᴇᴀᴄᴇ & Gʟᴏʀʏ pic.twitter.com/7egfq7evWC

— ANTHONY CALLEA (@AnthonyCallea) September 8, 2022

Callea was the runner-up in the 2004 season of Australian Idol. Since then many of his albums and singles have debuted in the ARIA Top 20 charts.

His debut single The Prayer – a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s song – was  in 2010 named as the second-highest selling single of the decade by ARIA. 

While Callea is yet to respond to the news, soon after the Queen’s death earlier this month, the singer had posted photos on social media of his 2006 meeting with the late monarch. 

“Grief is the price we pay for love. The end of an era. Vale Queen Elizabeth II. Rest in peace and glory,” Callea said, and posted photos of him shaking hands with the Queen. 

Callea was one of the few pop singers in the world to have sang for the Queen – he had performed ‘Prayer‘ for Queen Elizabeth II in Sydney in 2006 at the Commonwealth Day Church service. 

Coming Out

Callea, who was dogged by rumours and tabloid reports speculating on his sexuality, came out in 2007. “Yes, I am gay,” Callea had said in a statment “I have no issue with my sexuality now, but it’s taken time to become confident with who I am and happy with who I am. I’m comfortable enough to come clean now. It’s a weight off my shoulders”.

He married former Home And Away actor and entertainer Tim Campbell in 2014 in New Zealand. Same-sex marriages were not legal in Australia then. The law changed in Australia only in 2017, after the national marriage equality vote.

Callea had recently sung at the memorial services for TV personality Bert Newton, who passed away in October 2021 and cricket legend Shane Warne, who passed away in March 2022.