In what must be a first, a reigning British monarch is to share their music taste with the rest of the nation when King Charles takes part in a one-off radio special.
Apple Music has announced that it will air a show on Apple Music 1 called The King’s Music Room on 10 March. It’s been recorded at Buckingham Palace and will coincide with Commonwealth Day.
In a trailer. the 76-year-old monarch says: "Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me. It has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories, comfort us in times of sadness and take us to distant places. But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy. This is what I particularly wanted to share with you: songs which have brought me joy. This seemed such an interesting and innovative way to celebrate this year's Commonwealth Day."
So, what exactly is on the King’s playlist? Well, Apple has provided us with a few tasters - apparently Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones are in there, as well as Nigerian producer Davido, and Raye (note that all these artists hail from Commonwealth countries).
The show will also see him share anecdotes about his encounters with some of those artists and reveal how the songs have provided him with the soundtrack to his life.
In a statement, Apple Music executive Rachel Newman said: "Human curation has always been a key pillar of our unique editorial approach. Apple Music Radio is where culture is happening worldwide, and we are honoured that King Charles III chose to share his personal playlist with us, and with music fans around the world."
It’s not the first time Charles has done something like this. As recently as 2021, he picked a selection of his favourite tracks that were broadcast on a special show dedicated to volunteers of the Hospital Broadcasting Association.
That day he included 13 songs which included La Vie En Rose by Edith Piaf, You’re A Lady by Peter Skellern, and They Can’t Take That Away From Me by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Rather more groovily, there was Diana Ross’s 1980 disco hit Upside Down and Givin’ Up, Givin’ In, a Giorgio Moroder-produced single by his old favourites The Three Degrees.
Back in the day when he was merely Prince Of Wales, it’s known that Charles was a big fan of the Philly soul group, to the extent of exchanging letters with lead vocalist Sheila Ferguson.
