Phil Collins made a rare public appearance in London over the weekend, stepping out for the 50th anniversary celebrations of The King’s Trust at Buckingham Palace. His ex-wife Jill Collins shared a photo of the occasion on Instagram, showing the pair alongside Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster. The former Genesis frontman has remained largely out of the spotlight in recent years following several health setbacks that have left him unable to play drums.“Despite the downpours of torrential rain, which did not seem to dampen the festivities, Phil and I were very proud and honored to be there and have 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,” Jill wrote in her post.
Phil Collins and Jill’s connection to The King’s Trust
Jill also revealed that she and Phil, who were married from 1984 to 1996, are working together on an auction to benefit The King’s Trust. “We are donating hundreds of items from our personal archives with 100% of the proceeds benefiting The King’s Trust as well as asking others to donate very special personal items,” she wrote. She added that Phil has also designed a T-shirt to be sold, with all proceeds going to the organisation.
Phil Collins’ health struggles in recent years
In January, Collins spoke candidly about the health complications he has been living with following a spinal injury in 2007, which resulted in damage to the vertebrae in his upper neck along with significant nerve damage. He also developed a condition known as drop foot following a back operation, making it difficult to walk.Speaking to Zoe Bell for the ‘Eras’ podcast, Collins described his situation as “an ongoing thing.” “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do. I’ve had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” he said. He added that he has undergone five different knee surgeries and finally has one that works. “I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he noted.Collins also revealed at the time that he was two years sober. “I’d probably been drinking too much, and so my kidneys were messed up,” he said. “I wasn’t one of those guys that sort of stayed up all night drinking. I’d drink during the day, but I guess I had too much of it.” He added, “It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years. But it’s all right now.”
Phil Collins on returning to music
While Collins revealed in 2021 that he could no longer play the drums, he hinted during the ‘Eras’ podcast interview in January that he may not be done with music entirely. “I’ve got some things that are half-formed or were never finished, and a couple of things that were finished, which I like, so you know. Maybe life in the old dog. Yeah. You’ll see,” he said.Throughout his career, Collins has been nominated for 27 Grammy Awards and won eight, including Album of the Year for ‘No Jacket Required’ and Best Soundtrack Album for ‘Tarzan’. He is also set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November.
