LONDON — Musician Phil Collins made a rare public appearance at Buckingham Palace in London for the 50th anniversary celebration of King Charles III's nonprofit The King's Trust. He first became an ambassador for the organization 40 years ago, having previously served as a trustee.

Collins was accompanied at the party by his ex-wife Jill Collins, singer Rod Stewart, and model and television personality Penny Lancaster. Jill Collins posted online: "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 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 Collins said she and Phil Collins are working on an auction in November to benefit The King's Trust, with the couple donating hundreds of items from their personal archives. She added that Phil Collins has designed a T-shirt that will be sold with the proceeds going to the nonprofit.

The appearance came after a period of declining health for the musician, who retired from music in March 2022. He underwent major neck surgery in 2015 stemming from years of playing drums and bad posture. He also suffers from drop foot, a condition that makes it difficult to lift the front part of his foot and has made drumming nearly impossible.

"I've had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me," Collins said. "I got COVID in hospital. My kidneys started to back up. Everything seemed to converge at the same time."

"I've had five operations on my knee now. I've got a knee that works, and I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever," he said, adding that he has a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure he takes his medication as he should.

His ailments have left him unable to play the drums. He said he can barely hold a drumstick and described the situation as a shock after spending his life playing drums. He also said he is no longer motivated to return to performing, describing himself as having been very sick.