Phil Collins, a seasoned musician from Genesis, graced a rare public appearance alongside his ex-wife Jill Collins at the King's Trust 50th Anniversary Party at Buckingham Palace on May 14th. This event, attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, was a truly unforgettable affair.
Jill, who shares a daughter, Lily Collins, 37, with Phil, shared her excitement on Instagram the following day: "Yesterday was an afternoon to remember at Buckingham Palace, celebrating The King's Trust 50th Anniversary Party! Despite the torrential rain that didn't dampen the festivities, @officialphilcollins and I were both proud and honored to be there and share some private moments with King Charles. He seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil, who was the very first ambassador 40 years ago and a trustee even before that!"
Jill also posted a photo of the duo posing with Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster, adding to the star-studded ambiance of the event.
Phil's appearance at the event, using crutches as he often does due to his knee surgeries, isn't surprising. The Grammy winner, who retired from music in 2022, has shared that he often relies on crutches after undergoing several knee surgeries. "I had five operations on my knee now," he explained on the BBC's Eras podcast in January. "I've got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with assistance from crutches."
Aside from his knee injuries, Phil has also suffered from kidney damage due to his past alcohol addiction. "I'd probably been drinking too much, so my kidneys were messed up," he said. "I wasn't one of those guys that stayed up all night drinking. I drank during the day, but I guess I had too much of it."
"I was never drunk," Phil clarified, "although I fell over a couple of times. It is just one of those things that happened. It all caught up with me and I spent months in hospital."
Phil, who is also dad to kids Joely Collins, 53, and Simon Collins, 49, with ex-wife Andrea Bertorelli and sons Nic Collins, 25, and Matthew Collins, 20, with ex Orianne Cevey, has also had to contend with nerve damage in his hands, which began after a spinal injury during Genesis' farewell tour in 2007. Following this painful diagnosis, the "You'll Be in My Heart" singer made the difficult decision to retire from drumming. "If I can't do what I did as well as I did it, I'd rather relax and not do anything," he said in his 2024 documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First. "If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I'll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I've used up my air miles."
