King Charles marks 78 with Elton John’s Rocket Hour

By Elena Vasquez

What did the two artists remember?

King Charles marked his 78th birthday on Saturday with Elton John in a recorded episode of the Apple Radio show Rocket Hour, marking the King’s Trust’s 50th anniversary.

At 79, John joined Charles for what the episode described as a shared musical journey. The King’s playlist included John’s “I’m Still Standing,” opening their discussion of a Rock Gala performance in 1986 for the trust’s 10th anniversary.

Charles said no one present could possibly forget it “and certainly, 40 years on from that remarkable concert, we and the trust are definitely still standing”. John joked: “I’m still sitting now, though.”

Charles continued: “With occasional bits dropping off here and there. I know this is a terrible problem as we get older.”

The special recorded episode linked the trust’s 10th anniversary in 1986 with its 50th anniversary, with both artists recalling music from the intervening four decades.

Takeaway: The birthday exchange made the trust’s 50-year history the episode’s main subject.

How did the trust shape the music?

Charles called the appearance “an opportunity too good to resist”. Rocket Hour featured tracks by many musicians associated with the trust over its half-century.

• “Giant” — Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man (2019). Charles chose it to exemplify the “spirit of that well-known saying about standing on the shoulders of giants, we can draw strength from those who have gone before us”.
• “In the Air Tonight” — Phil Collins. Charles chose it in tribute to Collins, a “tremendous” trust supporter scheduled for induction on Saturday as a solo Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist. “I could not be more pleased for him,” Charles said.

He added that Collins’s “marvellous actress” daughter Lily was also a trust supporter, “which I think is a really special connection across the generations”.

• “Handbags and Gladrags” — Rod Stewart. Charles said he admired the “totally unstoppable” Stewart and also chose it for the Stereophonics, “who started their career with help from the trust”.

Charles said the trust existed to provide young people with their first opportunity. He established it as the Prince’s Trust in 1976.

Charles recalled: “a group then known as the Rocket Baby Dolls received a small grant from my trust to buy audio equipment.” He added: “And later, under the name of Muse, they became one of the biggest stadium bands in the world.”

The episode then played Muse’s version of “Feeling Good”.

Each musical selection traced either a personal debt or a public connection that Charles identified within the trust’s half-century of charitable support for young people.

Takeaway: The choices linked songs to specific acts of support.

Where do family memories enter?

Charles described the appearance as “the most enjoyable and nostalgic journey through some of the many musical high points of the last half-century”.

Asked to choose a song he found “extremely meaningful”, Charles selected the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”. He said: “Well, there can surely be nothing more meaningful than love.”

Charles then described the Party at the Palace performance for his late mother’s Golden Jubilee:

“I shall never forget the magic of witnessing a simply unforgettable performance of All You Need Is Love for my late mother’s Golden Jubilee at the Party at the Palace concert

with Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker, and I think with Phil Collins on drums, Brian May and Eric Clapton on guitar and an all-star backing choir.

It really is a totally timeless song with a timeless message.”\