In a blend of royal tradition and modern technology, King Charles III has teamed up with Apple Music to launch “The King’s Music Room,” a one-of-a-kind radio show sharing the monarch’s personal playlist. This unprecedented collaboration offers a glimpse into the King’s favorite music—from reggae legends to pop divas—and underscores the cultural ties binding the Commonwealth.
The idea of a British monarch curating a playlist might once have sounded far-fetched. Yet on March 10, 2025, which is Commonwealth Day, “The King’s Music Room” will premiere to the world. At 6:00 a.m. GMT that Monday, anyone can tune in for free on Apple Music’s global radio station, Apple Music 1. The special will replay multiple times through Monday and Tuesday on Apple Music 1 and Apple Music Hits, and afterwards, Apple Music subscribers can listen on demand at their leisure. In other words, whether or not you pay for Apple Music, the King’s two-hour musical journey will be widely accessible—a deliberate effort to reach as many listeners as possible.
Recorded in Buckingham Palace at the King’s own office, the program is described by Apple as a “celebration of music from across the Commonwealth.” Fittingly, it coincides with Commonwealth Day, an annual event celebrating unity and diversity among the 56 nations of the Commonwealth. In the broadcast, King Charles acts as a royal DJ, introducing songs hand-picked from the Commonwealth’s rich musical landscape. The playlist spans decades and genres—including 1930s crooners, Afrobeats stars, disco divas, and reggae icons. Listeners can expect to hear classics from Bob Marley, pop hits by Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones, and contemporary tracks by Afrobeats giant Davido and British singer RAYE. It’s a mix that crosses continents and generations, much like the Commonwealth itself.
What makes the show truly unique is King Charles’s personal involvement. Rather than a simple list of songs, the broadcast is woven together with his commentary and anecdotes. He recorded introductions for each track, offering exclusive insights into his relationship with music from around the Commonwealth. In these segments, the King shares stories behind the songs—even recounting his encounters with some of the featured artists. For instance, he reflects on meeting Bob Marley’s widow, Rita Marley, during a visit to Jamaica in 2000, when he was Prince of Wales. Such memories add a personal touch to the show, turning it into an audio journey through the King’s life and travels. “The show is shaped by his extraordinary experiences from around the world,” Apple noted, highlighting how the soundtrack of his life has been formed by the people and places he’s encountered.
In a promotional trailer (see below) the monarch is seen sitting at his polished wooden desk with an old-fashioned “On Air” sign beside him—a striking image of tradition meeting technology. As Head of the Commonwealth, Charles chose this format to mark Commonwealth Day in a celebratory spirit. “Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me,” the King remarks in his introduction, underscoring music’s power “to comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places…and lift our spirits…when it brings us together in celebration. In other words, it brings us joy.” Music, for King Charles, is a unifying force. He goes on to say he wanted to share “songs which have brought me joy” as “such an interesting and innovative way to celebrate this year’s Commonwealth Day.” By curating a playlist of joyful tunes from different cultures, the King delivers a message of unity not through a speech but through song. The 2025 Commonwealth Day theme, “Together We Thrive,” is embodied in this musical initiative, which uses melody and rhythm to bridge distances.
Those who know King Charles’s background aren’t surprised by his venture into music curation. Long before he ascended the throne, Charles was a passionate music aficionado. As a child, the Prince of Wales learned to play piano, trumpet, and cello, even performing in school orchestras. That early love of music never waned; throughout his life, he has served as patron or president of over two dozen musical organizations—from the Royal College of Music to the English National Opera—championing the arts at every turn. By 2023, he had personally commissioned 12 new pieces of music for his coronation at Westminster Abbey, including works by contemporary composers and a gospel choir, blending modern sounds with royal tradition.
King Charles also shared his personal tastes with the public on multiple occasions—something rare for a royal of his rank. In 2018, he surprised BBC Radio 3 listeners by revealing his admiration for Leonard Cohen. Two years later, during Britain’s COVID-19 lockdown, Charles took over the airwaves at Classic FM for two nights, presenting some of his favorite classical works. “It has been a nightmare to whittle down…a very long list,” he joked, struggling to choose only a few beloved pieces. He confessed he’s “just one of those people who can’t live without classical music…I love listening to it and I love going to live concerts.” Over those two special programs, he delighted listeners with works by Wagner, Parry, and Bach—including a new concerto by Nigel Hess that he’d commissioned for his mother’s 90th birthday. In 2021, Charles curated a list of his favorite pop songs for a hospital radio broadcast, revealing an eclectic palette that included Diana Ross’s “Upside Down,” Barbra Streisand hits, and The Three Degrees’ 1978 disco track “Givin’ Up, Givin’ In,” which he admitted once gave him an “irresistible urge to get up and dance.”
All this underscores that music isn’t just a passive interest for Charles—it’s integral to his identity. By the time he became King in 2022, he had spent a lifetime forging emotional connections to songs and using music as a way to engage with the world. “Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me. I know that is also the case for so many others,” he says in The King’s Music Room broadcast. Each song choice is a chapter of his life’s soundtrack, transforming a simple playlist into a storytelling vehicle. By sharing it with the public, he invites listeners into his living room—or rather, into his Music Room—for a personal jam session.
The timing of this initiative is no coincidence. Commonwealth Day, observed on the second Monday of March, has long been an occasion for the monarch to champion unity. Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s late mother, traditionally attended a multi-faith service at Westminster Abbey and delivered a hopeful message celebrating the family of nations. King Charles III is upholding these traditions—and adding his own creative twist. Rather than relying solely on a formal address, he’s letting music speak. As he put it, this playlist is “an interesting and innovative way to celebrate this year’s Commonwealth Day.”
The Commonwealth is incredibly diverse—spanning 2.5 billion people across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Europe—yet music remains a universal language. By deliberately selecting artists from various member countries, the King spotlights the cultural contributions of the Commonwealth. Reggae from Jamaica, pop from Australia, Afro-pop from Nigeria, disco and new wave from the UK and Jamaica, and R&B from Britain—all showcase a mosaic of influences. Composer Errollyn Wallen, appointed Master of the King’s Music in 2024, remarked that “you can see His Majesty’s wide-ranging enthusiasm for music in this playlist to mark Commonwealth Day.” She helped curate the selections, calling it a “fun and eclectic collection” that underscores the Commonwealth’s cultural richness.
Beyond the songs themselves, The King’s Music Room signals how King Charles views his role as Head of the Commonwealth. “Together We Thrive,” the 2025 Commonwealth Day theme, celebrates collaboration among diverse nations. By broadcasting his personal celebration of Commonwealth culture, Charles reinforces that theme in a tangible way: Here is what we share—the joy of music. This is what thriving together sounds like. While some question the Commonwealth’s relevance, gestures of unity can hold symbolic power. A teenager in Canada or Ghana might not tune into a formal royal speech, but hearing the King introduce a track on Apple Music could spark a sense of shared experience.
The King’s Music Room represents a new chapter in the royal family’s relationship with media. The British monarchy has historically adapted to emerging communication platforms—from King George V’s inaugural Christmas radio broadcast in 1932 to Queen Elizabeth II’s first televised Christmas message in 1957. Over the decades, the royals have cautiously entered the digital arena, live-streaming events and managing social media accounts. Queen Elizabeth sent her first tweet in 2014 and her first Instagram post in 2019, further bridging the gap between tradition and modernity.
By hosting a show on Apple Music, King Charles becomes the first British monarch to personally curate and present a program on a global streaming platform. It’s a notable intersection of royalty and music distribution. In December 2024, Charles visited Apple’s UK headquarters at London’s Battersea Power Station, where he toured the offices and chatted with Apple CEO Tim Cook and British singer RAYE, one of the artists featured on his playlist. For Apple, having a monarch curate content is a badge of prestige; for Charles, partnering with a tech giant helps him reach a wide, tech-savvy audience around the globe.
Notably, Charles isn’t the only royal embracing new media. In 2021, Prince William appeared on Apple Fitness+ in a special “Time to Walk” episode, sharing reflections on his life and mental health. That same year, Prince Harry co-created “The Me You Can’t See” on Apple TV+ with Oprah Winfrey, focusing on mental health and personal healing. These ventures demonstrate how royals are using new platforms to broaden their reach. Now, as King, Charles is doing something similar—guided by his love for music and cultural diplomacy.
Royal commentators point out that these media moves are about remaining relevant. Formats may shift—from radio to TV, podcasts, and streaming—but the goal stays the same: to humanize the royals and connect them with the public. In Charles’s case, Apple Music offers an opportunity to move beyond the image of a formal monarch delivering addresses. Instead, we hear him reminiscing about concerts and songs—like a friend sharing a favorite mixtape. “It is inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you,” Queen Elizabeth once said, acknowledging how distant the monarchy can appear. Here, however, King Charles extends a more intimate invitation, hoping to bridge that distance with melodies and stories.
Apple, for its part, has embraced the royal collaboration enthusiastically. “Human curation has always been a key pillar of our unique editorial approach,” commented Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s Global Head of Editorial and Content. She added that the company feels honored to present King Charles III’s playlist to music fans worldwide. In producing polished cover art and trailers for The King’s Music Room, Apple treats this release as a major launch, suggesting it’s far more than a novelty. After all, how often do we hear a monarch act as a radio host?
At its core, The King’s Music Room is a story about connection. It’s about a monarch who has spent a lifetime immersed in music, finding an innovative way to communicate with the people he serves. It’s also about the power of music itself as a narrative force—capable of expressing emotion and memory more effectively than words alone. Think of Buckingham Palace, a centuries-old symbol of tradition, temporarily transformed into a small recording space filled with reggae, pop, and Afrobeats.
Ultimately, the success of The King’s Music Room hinges on the bridges it builds. If a young listener in India finds inspiration from a Nigerian track selected by the King, or a retiree in Canada rediscovers a forgotten Calypso melody, then the show will have done more than entertain—it will have fostered a sense of unity. “Music…brings us joy,” King Charles says plainly. And joy, indeed, is something the world can always use. As the broadcast concludes, one can almost picture Charles III echoing Bob Marley’s timeless lyric: “One love, one heart…let’s get together and feel all right.” In that sense, The King’s Music Room is no mere radio show—it’s a royal mixtape of hope and harmony.