Elton John will have an audience with Britain’s King Charles III on Saturday (Nov. 14) when the two men sit down for a chat on the singer’s Rocket Hour podcast. The special edition of the Apple Music show will celebrate the crucial role music has played in the work done by the King’s Trust charity as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
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“We are so proud of our 11-year-plus relationship with Sir Elton and his Rocket Hour show,” said Rachel Newman, co-head of Apple Music in a statement. “And the chance to build on our creative partnership with His Majesty King Charles III by hosting this extraordinary collaboration in our new Apple Music studios in Battersea. Especially as it helps mark such a landmark anniversary for The King’s Trust — a charity Apple continues to support in meaningful ways.”
In early October, the king joined Sir Elton at the new Apple Radio studio in London before the launch of the Apple x King’s Trust Creative Labs, a new series of specialized workshops to equip young people with the technology, resources and in-demand industry skills to help them move into the workplace.
The hourlong episode includes King Charles and Sir Elton sharing their memories of iconic performances by some of music’s biggest stars in support of The King’s Trust, as well as the artists who’ve received help from the Trust at the start of their careers. Among the most prominent acts is Muse, who got a grant from the then Prince’s Trust to buy sound equipment early in their career; the band later returned the favor by playing a sold-out 2018 show in support of The Trust at Royal Albert Hall.
“Music has always been at the heart of The Prince’s, and now The King’s Trust,” said the king in a statement about the program that will air on his 78th birthday. “So when I was asked whether I would like to showcase a selection of music from among the many talented performers who have so generously supported us over the years, together with some of the newer artists The Trust has helped to launch, it was an opportunity too good to resist.”
Among the songs John and King Charles listen to on the episode include Muse’s “Feeling Good,” Skye Newman’s “Hairdresser,” Nectar Woode’s “Wine Into Water,” and others.
John has a long connection to the Trust, including performing at a number of the Prince’s Trust Rock Gala concerts at Wembley Stadium in the 1980s and donating a pair of his signature rose-tinted glasses to raise funds for The Trust as part of its 50th anniversary auction in May of this year. The “Rocket Man” singer also received the Order of the Companions of Honour from Charles — then the Prince of Wales — at Windsor Castle in 2021 for his work in music and charity. John became a knight in Feb. 1988 when he was dubbed a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
“I’ve been very privileged to play the early concerts and they were some of the best things I’ve ever done because the musicians you played with were just so fantastic,” John says in the show about performing for the Trust in the past. In addition to talking about memories from past gala concerts, the pair also discuss the musical success stories from the Trust’s half-century of work and John rolls out a playlist including some of his personal favorites, golden oldies and this year’s new releases.
King Charles previously partnered with Apple in March 2025 for The King’s Music Room, a special radio show released to mark that year’s Commonwealth Day. The full Rocket Hour episode with King Charles will premiere at 9 a.m. GMT (4 a.m. ET) on Saturday on Apple Music 1, with additional opportunities to hear it for free on Apple Music 1 and Apple Music Hits throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 15).
