And it turns out that the 76-year old royal is a fan of artists that we would not have expected, including Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue, and Grace Jones.
Image: YouTube
When you think of King Charles, you might picture him deep in discussion about royal duties, sipping tea in Buckingham Palace, or passionately advocating for environmental causes.
Now, in a historical first, King Charles has released a musical playlist featuring some of his favourite artists from across the Commonwealth. To mark Commonwealth Day this year, he launched “The King’s Music Room”, recorded at Buckingham Palace.
And let’s just say, it’s got more groove than one might expect.
And it turns out the 76-year-old royal has quite the eclectic taste, with artists like Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue, and Grace Jones featuring alongside contemporary talents such as Davido and RAYE.
The playlist includes Marley’s “Could You Be Loved”, with the King, in true royal style describing the reggae legend’s music as having a “marvellous, infectious energy”. While not admitting to indulging in the other aspects of Marley’s lifestyle, King Charles fondly recalled, "I remember when he came to London to perform, when I was much younger, and I met him at some event.” The image of the King swaying along to Marley is almost too good to be true.
King Charles clearly loves dancing - as this video shows him breakdancing back in 1985!
South African Miriam Makeba’s “The Click Song” also made the list.
He also praised the Ghanaian musician Daddy Lumba, saying his song “Mpempem Do Me” gave him “the urge to dance to that pulsating rhythm.”
And when it came to Kylie Minogue’s “The Loco-Motion”, King Charles noted, “The song is music for dancing… it has that infectious energy which makes it, I find, incredibly hard to sit still!”
Reflecting on his selections, he described the playlist as, “A musical journey that spans 10 decades and reflects the diversity of the Commonwealth and a personal taste shaped by extraordinary experiences around the world.”
- Kylie Minogue – The Loco-Motion
- RAYE – Love Me Again
- Beyoncé – Crazy in Love
- Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved
- Millie Small – My Boy Lollipop
- Al Bowlly – The Very Thought of You
- Grace Jones – La Vie En Rose
- Daddy Lumba – Mpempem Do Me
- Davido – Kante
- Miriam Makeba – The Click Song
- Jools Holland & Ruby Turner – My Country Man
- Anoushka Shankar – Indian Summer
- Dame Kiri Te Kanawa – E Te Iwi E (Call to the People)
- Michael Bublé – Haven’t Met You Yet
- Arrow – Hot Hot Hot
- Diana Ross – Upside Down
And, in what might be the most unexpected moment of all, Charles declared “Upside Down” by Diana Ross as one of his all-time favourites. “This very last song is one of my particular favourites… and, when I was much younger, it was absolutely impossible not to get up and dance when it was played! So, I wonder if I can still just manage it...?!”
It just goes to show that even the King, at 76 years old can still get his groove on to Bob Marley and Diana Ross!
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