Phil Collins made a rare public appearance at Buckingham Palace on May 14, walking with the aid of crutches as he attended the King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party with his ex-wife, Jill Collins. King Charles and Queen Camilla were also at the event.
Jill Collins posted about the evening on Instagram on May 15, saying she and Collins were proud and honored to be there and had private moments with King Charles, who she said was pleased to see the singer. She added that Collins was the trust’s first ambassador 40 years ago and had been a trustee before that.
The appearance drew attention because Collins has spoken openly this year about the toll of years of health problems. In January, he said on the ’s Eras podcast that he had undergone five operations on his knee and could walk only with the help of crutches. He said he now has “a knee that works” and described himself as able to walk, albeit with assistance.
Collins has also said kidney damage linked to past alcohol addiction left him spending months in hospital after his kidneys were “messed up.” He said he was not someone who stayed up all night drinking, but that he drank during the day and had too much of it. He said, “I was never drunk,” while reflecting on the period that affected his health.
His physical decline goes back further. Collins has said nerve damage in his hands began after a spinal injury during Genesis’ farewell tour in 2007, and that pain helped drive his retirement from drumming. He retired from music in 2022, saying that if he could not do what he once did as well as he did it, he would rather step back than keep going in a diminished way.
That is why the Buckingham Palace appearance mattered today. It was not just a ceremonial outing; it was a public sign that Collins remains able to take part in important events, even if only with help from crutches. It also connected directly to the role Jill Collins described, linking him back to the trust he first supported four decades ago.
For now, the moment answers the question around Phil Collins health as plainly as the scene itself did: he is still appearing in public, but only with clear physical limits. The music has stopped, the injuries remain, and the rare appearance at Buckingham Palace showed both at once.
