King Charles III and Elton John surprise fans with secretly-recorded radio show

King Charles III and Elton John have joined forces to record a special episode of Sir Elton's Apple Radio show Rocket Hour.

The recording, which will air on the King’s 78th birthday on Saturday (14 November), took place last month at the Apple Music Studios in Battersea Power Station in south London.

The episode aims to highlight the close connection of music to the work of the monarch’s charity The King's Trust, which celebrates its 50th year in 2026.

The show sees the pair share memories of performances in aid of the trust, from the Wembley Arena Rock Galas of the 1980s through to pop concerts in Hyde Park as well as charity shows at the Royal Albert Hall.

The episode also recalls some of the trust’s early beneficiaries, including Muse, who received a grant from the trust to purchase equipment when they were starting out as a band under the name Rocket Baby Dolls.

The full tracklist is being kept under wraps, but includes Muse's version of Feeling Good, as well as Raye's Joy and Skye Newman’s Hairdresser.

In the trailer, King Charles and Sir Elton are shown sitting down together for the recording.

Sir Elton says: "It's reaffirmed in my mind what a great and wonderful thing you set up in the Prince's Trust years ago and continue to do on a daily basis."

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He continues: "Championing young people is something I know you've always loved to do in your life anyway, but for the arts and music it's really important."

He adds that the Trust’s achievements are "an incredible feather in your cap".

King Charles adds: "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 laughs and replies: "I'll be on the Antiques Roadshow next", as King Charles jokes: "Anyway, join the club."

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Authors

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.