Eurovision 2023: King Charles tells Mae Muller he will be 'egging you on'

King Charles III has told the UK's Eurovision entrant Mae Muller helium volition beryllium "egging" her connected and watching adjacent month's contention "with large interest".

The King and Queen Consort met the vocalist erstwhile they visited the venue successful Liverpool and unveiled the event's set.

Camilla said "no pressure" to Muller, who replied: "It feels similar a bully vigor this year, nary nil points."

She added: "As agelong arsenic I tin get up determination and accidental it's the champion I've ever done it, I'll beryllium pleased."

The venue volition signifier the archetypal semi-final successful little than 2 weeks, arsenic the UK hosts the yearly contention connected behalf of past year's winners Ukraine.

The expansive last volition instrumentality spot a week aft the coronation.

"We'll beryllium watching with large interest, egging you on," the King told Muller.

The King and Queen Consort besides met co-hosts Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina, commentators Rylan Clark and Scott Mills, and members of the accumulation team.

And they pushed a fastener to officially airy up the arena for the archetypal time.

The venue has been fitted with much than 2,000 specializer lighting fixtures, with a pink, bluish and yellowish colour strategy to lucifer this year's Eurovision logo.

The cabling for the lighting, dependable and video could scope 8 miles if rolled out.

The semi-finals volition instrumentality spot connected Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May, earlier the last connected Saturday 13 May.

Around 6,000 fans volition beryllium successful the arena for each of the shows, with an estimated 160 cardinal viewers watching the last astir the world.

Tickets person sold out, but determination volition beryllium a Eurovision Village instrumentality portion for thousands to ticker the lawsuit connected large screens, and a two-week taste festival successful the metropolis volition besides tally alongside the competition.

BBC manager wide Tim Davie said: "It is an honour that His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort person travel present contiguous to uncover the fantastic staging for our Eurovision Song Contest programming.

"This acceptable volition beryllium the focal constituent for each of the celebrations and we cannot hold to spot it lighting up Liverpool and TV screens crossed the world."

Last month, signifier decorator Julio Himede told the BBC's Eurovisioncast podcast the acceptable astatine the M&S Bank Arena was "very adaptable".

"It was an absorbing originative situation to travel up with a plan that felt large capable successful the arena and large capable connected camera," helium said.

"Creatively, maine and my squad had to deliberation astir however we could springiness the signifier an individuality that says Eurovision - 1 of the biggest euphony shows successful the world."

Around fractional of the 37 participants wil usage the catwalk that extends from the main signifier during their performances, helium added.

As this year's big broadcaster, the bulk of the outgo to enactment connected the 3 unrecorded televised shows falls to the BBC.

The full is expected to beryllium betwixt £8m and £17m, but the corp hasn't released its fund for the event.

Each year, the 37 competing broadcasters each wage a interest to enter, which successful caller years has totalled a combined sum of astir £5m.

The BBC, which is the UK's participating broadcaster, does not marque its publication public.

There is besides £10m coming from the UK government, which includes an undisclosed magnitude being fixed to assistance with the BBC's spending for the event.

However, officials accidental the bulk volition beryllium spent connected ensuring "the inclusion of Ukrainian culture".

All the build-up, insights and investigation is explored each week connected a BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.