King Charles will mark his 78th birthday on November 14 by revealing his all-time favourite songs in a special episode of Sir Elton John's Apple Music radio show, Rocket Hour. The announcement was made on the November 12 edition of Good Morning Britain.
Presenter Sean Fletcher told viewers: "King Charles is marking his 78th birthday by revealing his all-time favourite songs. He opened up in a special episode of Sir Elton John's Apple Music radio show, Rocket Hour, which was recorded in secret."
King and Sir Elton Chat in Secret Recording
The show aired a clip of King Charles talking to Elton John, during which the King said: "We are so richly blessed with the talents of our musicians, singers and performers, particularly yourself, if I may say so, because you've become such a national treasure after all these years of everything you've done for 70 years."
Sir Elton laughed and replied: "I'll be on the Antiques Roadshow next", as King Charles responded: "Anyway, join the club." In the trailer, the King and Sir Elton are shown laughing together as they chat during the recording.
Recording at Battersea Power Station
The hour-long show will air at 9am on Apple Music. Charles and Sir Elton sat down together last month at the Apple Music Studios in Battersea Power Station in south London.
Sir Elton said: "Hi, I’m Elton John. Welcome to my Rocket Hour. This week, my special guest, and I really mean special guest. I’m so excited to hear what he’s got to say about music, about The King’s Trust and memories that we both share."
Palace Spokesperson on the 'Difficult Second Album'
Announcing news of the episode, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: "You could say this new opportunity presented a slight challenge – how to make a similar impact and avoid what some might call 'the difficult second album'."
They added: "The answer was to find a world-class musical collaborator. This year, therefore, I’m pleased to announce that the King is returning to Apple Music alongside, drum roll please… The Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John."
The episode was described as "something of a shared musical journey" and the King and Sir Elton’s playlist "spans a range of decades and genres, from some meaningful personal favourites and golden oldies, to this year’s new releases".
