King Charles has recorded a special episode of Sir Elton John's podcast, Rocket Hour, which airs on Charles's 78th birthday on Saturday. The duo recorded the episode in secret at the Apple Music Studios in Battersea Power Station last month to celebrate 50 years of the monarch's charity, the King's Trust.
The King described it as "an opportunity too good to resist", while Sir Elton admitted afterwards: "I learnt a lot from speaking to His Majesty."
A Shared Musical Journey
In the hour-long episode, the pair share memories of performances by some of music's biggest stars in support of the trust over the last five decades – from Wembley Arena rock galas of the 1980s through to pop concerts in Hyde Park and sold-out charity shows at the Royal Albert Hall.
While the playlist has been kept under wraps until the podcast airs at 9 am on Saturday on Apple Music 1, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson described the episode as a "shared musical journey", with the tracks spanning "a range of decades and genres, from some meaningful personal favourites and golden oldies, to this year's new releases".
Support for Emerging Talent
Charles discusses some world-famous bands who received help from the King's Trust in their early days, including Muse, who were given a grant from the-then Prince's Trust to purchase PA equipment when they were starting out as a band under the name Rocket Baby Dolls.
Sir Elton told the King: "I never knew that some of these musicians were involved in the trust. It's great news to me… and it reinforces for me all the great work that you've done all these 50 years, because I had no idea. So bravo."
The King said it was "wonderful" to see the difference the trust's programmes can make, adding: "Well really, what I was trying to do was invest in the future, but particularly investing in talent."
Sir Elton said: "That's the greatest thing you can do. Young people are our future, and you're doing a wonderful job."
Recording at Battersea Power Station
A short trailer of the show has been released alongside a picture of the pair in the studio, with the singer wearing his trademark colourful thick-rimmed glasses - this time in green.
Charles and Sir Elton took part in the episode – the first to be recorded in the new Apple Radio studios – in October when they both visited Battersea Power Station for the launch of the Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs, which aims to help young people explore potential careers in creative industries.
Sir Elton has long been a supporter of The King's Trust, and performed at some of its rock galas at Wembley in the 1980s and donated a pair of his rose-tinted spectacles to raise money as part of its 50th anniversary auction. The King's Trust, then known as The Prince's Trust, was set up by Charles in 1976 to help disadvantaged young people overcome challenging circumstances, get into employment or launch their own businesses.
