King Charles and Elton John attend Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs music event

Centre · 1King Charles visited a music workshop for young people on Wednesday 7 October, run as a collaboration between his charity, the King's Trust, and Apple. 1 Centre · 2The event took place at Apple's new Apple Music Hall in the restored Battersea Power Station, south west London. 1 2 Centre · 2Sir Elton John, a long-time supporter of the charity, sat beside the King with his husband David Furnish and Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook to hear a short performance from singer-songwriter Skye Newman. 1 2

Centre · 1The Evening Standard described the performance as a soundcheck by the 22-year-old, who sang her song Crawling ahead of a concert at the hall that evening, just over a week after Sir Elton played its opening night. 2 Centre · 1Before the show, the King and Mr Cook met the first cohort of the new Creative Labs, a series of workshops organised by Apple and the King's Trust to give young people technology, resources and practical skills to help them into work. 2 Centre · 2The King was introduced to Prophet Guillory of Apple Music, who was praised for mentoring young people; the King joked that the spatial audio technology used in the hall was "beyond me". 1 2

Centre · 2He also heard a track by rapper KP that was created at the workshop, and one young musician told him the problem was getting the money together to launch creative ideas. 2 1 Left · 1The Daily Mirror named the rapper the King met as Princess, a London rapper who makes music in her bedroom and has completed the Trust's 'Get Started in Music' programme; it reported that the track's lyric "I'm a Princess, and I need my King" amused Charles. 3 Centre · 1King's Trust ambassador Deborah Babalola, 26, said she was delighted by the visit, and Apple's Alisha Johnson Wilder said the Creative Labs take the company's commitment to the Trust further. 2

Left · 1Mr Townsend called the Creative Labs "an exciting new chapter in our partnership", and the Mirror said the project aims to expand the workshops across Apple TV, Apple Podcasts and Apple's other businesses. 3 Left · 1Mr Cook thanked the King and Sir Elton, telling the young people "you have the power to change the world with your art and your music", and the Mirror said the King sat beside Sir Elton, Mr Cook and the Trust's chief executive Jonathan Townsend for Newman's soundcheck. 3 Centre · 2The King's Trust, now in its 50th year and formerly the Prince's Trust, says it has helped 1.3 million young people across the UK, and has partnered with Apple on coding and digital skills since 2019. 1 2

Centre · 1The BBC noted that last year the King released a 17-track playlist on Apple Music, and that the power station once supplied electricity to Buckingham Palace. 1