Phil Collins Steps Out for Royal Event With King Charles Amid Health Issues

Phil Collins just made a rare appearance. The former Genesis frontman recently stepped out at Buckingham Palace to attend The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party.

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Phil’s ex-wife, Jill Collins, posted about the event on Instagram, calling it “a truly memorable afternoon.” Among the photos Jill shared was one snap of herself and Phil posing alongside Rod Stewart and his wife, Penny Lancaster.

“Despite the downpours of torrential rain which did not seem to dampen the festivities @officialphilcollins and I were very proud and honored to be there,” Jill wrote. “[We had] a few private moments with King Charles who seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil who was the very first ambassador 40 years ago and a trustee even before that!”

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Jill additionally revealed that she and her ex are “working together on an auction to benefit @kingstrust in November in London.” She noted that they “are donating hundreds of items from our personal archives” and asking others to do the same. The rocker, Jill revealed, has also designed a T-shirt that will be sold for the occasion.

Phil Collins’ Health

Phil’s rare outing came months after he got candid about his health. While he’s been struggling since a 2007 spinal injury, things have dramatically worsened in the years since.

 “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do,” he said BBC’s Eras podcast. “… I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”

One of Collins’ top concerns was that of his knee. The drummer has had five surgeries on his knee, and is now left with only one “that works.”

“I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he said.

In addition to problems with his knee, Collins said that, during the height of his troubles, he got COVID in the hospital and had issues with his kidneys.

The kidney issues, Collins admitted, stemmed from “drinking too much.”

“I guess I had too much of it,” he said of alcohol. “I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital.”

In the wake of his health issues, Collins quit drinking. He has more than two years of sobriety.

“It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years,” he said. “But it’s all right now.”

Photo by David Wolff-Patrick/Redferns