King Charles marks 50 years of his youth charity with Elton John on radio show

Britain’s King Charles joined Elton John for a special edition of the singer’s Apple Music radio show to celebrate 50 years of The King’s Trust and musicians who have supported the youth charity, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday.

The episode of “Elton John’s Rocket Hour”, recorded at Apple’s new radio studios in London, will air on Apple Music on Saturday, Nov 14, Charles’ 78th birthday.

While he was Prince of Wales, Charles founded the Prince’s Trust in 1976 using his Royal Navy severance pay to help disadvantaged young people prepare for work, find jobs or start businesses. Renamed the King’s Trust after Charles became king, the charity says it has supported more than 1 million young people.

“Music has always been at the heart of The Prince’s, and now The King’s Trust,” Charles said, adding that the programme offered a chance to showcase performers who had supported the charity and newer artists it had helped launch.

The pair recall benefit concerts stretching from Wembley Arena’s rock galas in the 1980s to shows in Hyde Park and at the Royal Albert Hall.

Among them is British rock band Muse, which received a grant to buy sound equipment when it performed under its former name Rocket Baby Dolls. The group later held a sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert in aid of the Trust in 2018, the statement said.

“If you champion a young artist and show you believe in them, it makes all the difference,” John said. “Young people are our future.”

John received the Order of the Companions of Honour from Charles, then Prince of Wales, at Windsor Castle in 2021 for services to music and charity. One of the best-selling artists of all time, with hits including “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Rocket Man” and “Your Song”, John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998.

John’s Rocket Hour is a weekly show that has aired globally on Apple Music 1 since 2015.