King Charles, Elton John team up for 50th anniversary of youth charity
King Charles III of the United Kingdom has joined Elton John in the singer's Apple Music radio studio to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting young people, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday, CE Report quotes Reuters.
The episode of Elton John's Rocket Hour, recorded at Apple's new radio studios in London, will be broadcast on Apple Music on Saturday, November 14, the day Charles turns 78, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.
Charles founded the Prince's Trust in 1976, when he was Prince of Wales, using his naval severance pay after leaving the Royal Navy. The charity aimed to help disadvantaged young people prepare for employment or start their own businesses.
Renamed The King's Trust after Charles became monarch, the organisation says it has supported more than one million young people.
"Music has always been at the heart of the Prince's Trust, now The King's Trust," Charles said, adding that the organisation had promoted artists who had supported the charity over the years.
The King and Elton John reminisced about charity rock concerts at Wembley Stadium in the 1980s, as well as performances in Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall.
Among the artists supported by the charity was British rock band Muse, which received a grant to purchase sound equipment when the group was still performing under its former name, Rocket Baby Dolls. The band later performed a sold-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the trust in 2018, according to the palace statement.
"If you support a young artist and believe in them, that means an enormous amount," Elton John said. "Young people are our future."
In 2021, Elton John received the Order of the Companions of Honour from Charles, then Prince of Wales, at Windsor Castle in recognition of his services to music and charitable work.
One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, Elton John is known for hits including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Rocket Man and Your Song. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998.
Elton John's Rocket Hour is a weekly programme that has been broadcast globally on Apple Music 1 since 2015.
Photo: Instagram/eltonjohn
