Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, BBC News
PA Media
King Charles is putting out a Commonwealth playlist, from reggae to disco
King Charles III is launching a personal playlist of music that lifts his spirits and brings back important memories, including Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones.
He was photographed at Buckingham Palace for the music project, named the King’s Music Room, with an “on air” sign on the desk of the royal DJ.
A video trailer shows the band for the changing of the guard outside the palace playing Bob Marley’s Could You Be Loved, in a project to celebrate music from Commonwealth countries.
“So this is what I particularly wanted to share – songs which have brought me joy,” the King said.
“Throughout my life, music has meant a great deal to me,” the King says in the video launching the project, which is a partnership with Apple Music.
“I know that is also the case for so many others.
“It has that remarkable ability to bring happy memories flooding back from the deepest recesses of our memory, to comfort us in times of sadness, and to take us to distant places.
“But perhaps, above all, it can lift our spirits to such a degree, and all the more so when it brings us together in celebration.
“In other words, it brings us joy.”
The full choice of tracks, with more royal commentary, will be published on Monday, for Commonwealth Day.
As well as as reggae from Marley and dance music from Minogue, there are expected to be contributions from Nigerian-American singer-songwriter Davido and British singer-songwriter Raye.
Marley’s message
The King saw Raye at a concert at a Christmas market at the former Battersea Power Station, where Apple has its London headquarters.
The project is intended to be a different approach to Commonwealth Day, which sees the Royal Family gathering for a service in Westminster Abbey.
It will reflect the King’s musical interests through his life, ranging from 1930s crooners to Afrobeat stars.
He is also expected to share anecdotes about some of the artists and reveals why the songs help form the soundtrack to his life.
“This seemed such an interesting and innovative way to celebrate this year’s Commonwealth Day,” the King said.
He has a longstanding interest in Marley and has visited the singer’s former home in Jamaica, which has been turned into a museum.
And outside the palace windows, the band played Marley’s message: “Don’t let them change ya, oh! Or even rearrange ya! Oh, no!”
