King Charles Guests on Elton John's Rocket Hour for the King's Trust's 50th Anniversary

King Charles III will be a guest of Elton John on a special episode of Rocket Hour, the singer’s radio programme on Apple Music, marking the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust. The episode airs Saturday 14 November at 9 GMT on Apple Music 1.¹² The announcement came from Apple Music and Buckingham Palace. The stated theme is the charity’s anniversary and the role music has played in its work.¹

What Rocket Hour is and what the King’s Trust is

Rocket Hour is the show Elton John has hosted on Apple Music since July 2015. It mixes new music, past hits and interviews with artists, often featuring tracks from his record collection.¹³ The programme has passed 400 episodes. Past guests include Ed Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Noel Gallagher and Chappell Roan.¹³ The King’s Trust is a charity founded by the king in 1976. In 2026 it therefore turns fifty.¹

What the episode covers

According to MacRumors, the two talk through the musicians and charity fundraising shows connected to the organisation, with Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall among the venues named.² Reuters, cited by 9to5Mac, describes charity concerts that span large rock events at Wembley Arena during the 1980s, along with performances staged in Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall.¹ The episode also discusses artists the charity supported early in their careers. Muse, when they were still called Rocket Baby Dolls, used a grant to buy audio equipment. In 2018 they returned to raise funds for the organisation with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.² Tracks by Raye and Skye Newman are also among the songs chosen for the episode.²

When and where to listen

The first broadcast is Saturday 14 November at 9 a.m. GMT on Apple Music 1. Repeats are scheduled the same Saturday at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. GMT.¹² On Sunday the episode returns at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. GMT, on both Apple Music 1 and Apple Music Hits. After the live broadcast it will also be available on demand.¹²

Where it was recorded

The conversation was recorded in October, during the king’s visit to Apple Music’s new radio studios in London. Reuters, reported by 9to5Mac, says it was the first episode made in those studios.¹² The studios were announced in September together with Apple Music Hall, at Battersea Power Station. It is a 600-seat hall that can record concerts in spatial audio and produce video for broadcasts.² The recording coincided with the launch of Apple x King’s Trust Creative Labs, a training initiative for young people aged 18 to 30. It admits up to 20 participants to workshops on creative careers. The first sessions, in October, focused on music and the creative industries.²

Why it matters

The episode brings together two existing relationships. Apple has supported the King’s Trust since 2019 with technology resources and coding courses. Charles had already worked with Apple Music on The King’s Music Room, a programme broadcast in March 2025 and recorded at Buckingham Palace.²

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Elton John’s Apple Music show to feature King Charles in November 14 special, 9to5Mac, 2026-11-12 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. King Charles to Join Elton John’s Apple Music Radio Show, MacRumors, 2026-11-13 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. ‎Rocket Hour - Radio Show - Apple Music, music.apple.com ↩ ↩²