Phil Collins made a rare public appearance at Buckingham Palace, four years after retiring due to various health problems.
The former Genesis frontman and ex-wife Jill Tavelman celebrated the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust on Thursday, with the latter posting about the party on Instagram.
Notably, Collins was using crutches in the photo with his ex-spouse, as well as Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster.
“Despite the pouring rain, it didn’t seem to affect the @officialphilcollins celebrations. I was so proud and honored to be there and have a private moment with King Charles. King Charles seemed genuinely happy to meet Phil,” the 70-year-old captioned the upload.
Tavelman, who was married to Collins from 1984 to 1996, said Collins was “the first ambassador 40 years ago and a trustee before that!”
Her ex-spouse, 75, has largely stayed away from the spotlight as some health issues have made him unable to play the drums.
Collins will be forced to retire in March 2022 after a 50-year career.
“I’m still feeling a little bit depressed,” Collins said in the documentary “Phil Collins: Drummer First,” which premiered in December 2024.
“I’ve spent my entire life playing drums,” he added. “It’s a shock to suddenly not be able to do that. If you wake up one day and can pick up a drumstick, you’ll be able to play right away. But I feel like I’ve used up all my air miles.”
His son Nicholas Colin said the singer had “major neck surgery[in 2015]due to poor posture from playing the drums for so many years.”
Phil also suffers from foot drop, which makes it difficult for him to raise the front of his foot, making drumming nearly impossible.
Six months before officially retiring from music, the Grammy Award winner went public with his health struggles.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast in September 2021, he lamented: “I feel like I’m a bit disabled physically and it’s very frustrating. I would have loved to have played there.”
“I can barely grip the stick with this hand, so there’s something physically in the way,” Phil explained. “I don’t know if I want to be on the road anymore.”
In February 2025, Phil heartbreakingly revealed that his condition was only getting worse.
“I always think I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,” he told Mojo magazine last year. “But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I was sick, I mean very sick.”
More recently, in an interview with BBC Two in January, he said the issue was an “ongoing thing”, according to Variety.
“We have a nurse on call 24 hours a day to make sure you take your medication,” he revealed. “I had problems with my knees. Everything that could go wrong for me went wrong for me. I got COVID in the hospital and my kidneys started failing. It all seemed to come together in a way at the same time.”
After five surgeries, Phil declared that his “knee is functioning normally” and that he is “able to walk with crutches and other assistance.”
