King Charles speaks on Elton John’s Rocket Hour

King Charles has sat down with Sir Elton John for a special taping of ‘Elton John’s Rocket Hour’ on Apple Music, celebrating the vital role music plays in The King’s Trust’s work. 

King Charles III x Rocket Man! King Charles has joined Sir Elton John for a special edition of ‘Elton John’s Rocket Hour‘ on Apple Music, celebrating the vital role of music in the work of The King’s Trust in the charity’s Golden Anniversary Year (50 years). The episode, which will premiere on His Majesty’s 78th Birthday, was the first to be recorded at the new Apple Radio studios in London.

At Apple Music Studios in London, King Charles sat down with Sir Elton to discuss meaningful music and songs by shared favourite artists, with tracks from around the world, from the early days of The Trust’s founding to this year’s new releases. The two taped the episode this past October, ahead of the launch of Apple x King’s Trust Creative Labs, a new series of specialised workshops designed to equip young people with the technology, resources, and in-demand industry skills they need to realise their potential and move into work.

During the conversation, King Charles and Sir Elton share their memories of iconic performances by some of music’s biggest stars in support of The Trust’s work helping young people over the last five decades — from the Wembley Arena Rock Galas of the 1980s through to pop concerts in Hyde Park as well as sold-out charity shows at the Royal Albert Hall.

The episode also highlights artists who received help from The Trust early in their careers and, in some cases, have gone on to support The Trust as alumni. The Trust’s work helping young people access opportunities aligns with Sir Elton’s passion for championing new music and rising stars through the Rocket Hour radio show on Apple Music, and is reflected in the playlist, which includes tracks by Raye and Skye Newman.

Tracks on ‘Elton John’s Rocket Hour with His Majesty The King’ include:

• Muse, ‘Feeling Good’
• Raye, ‘Joy’
• Skye Newman, ‘Hairdresser’

The full episode will premiere at 9 am GMT on Saturday, 14 November 2026 on Apple Music 1. The special episode of Elton John’s Rocket Hour builds on The King’s Music Room, an Apple Music programme recorded at Buckingham Palace in which His Majesty selected tracks by artists from across the Commonwealth to celebrate Commonwealth Day in March 2025.

During the episode, His Majesty says, “Music has always been at the heart of The Prince’s, and now The King’s Trust. 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.”

Over the last fifty years, The King’s Trust has helped more than 1.5 million young people across the globe to build a better future for themselves, with three in four of the young people supported by The Trust over the last five years moving into work, education or training.

Over more than a decade and nearly 500 episodes, the Rocket Hour has highlighted 3188 artists and played over 7000 songs, with Sam Fender, Channel Tres, Christine and The Queens, Joni Mitchell, and Rina Sawayama among the top five artists played to date. In addition, a staggering 223 special guests have also been interviewed in that time.