Phil Collins Health: Rare Buckingham Palace Appearance With Crutches
Phil Collins health was visible at Buckingham Palace on May 14, when the musician made a rare public appearance at the King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party and walked with the assistance of crutches. The outing came after years of injuries and treatment that had already pushed him out of music by 2022.
Buckingham Palace on May 14
Collins attended the party with his ex-wife, Jill Collins, alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla. Jill Collins wrote on Instagram on May 15 that the afternoon at Buckingham Palace was “a truly memorable afternoon spent at Buckingham Palace to celebrate The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party!!!”
She added that, “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!”
Five knee operations
In January, Collins said on the ’s Eras podcast, “I had five operations on my knee now” and, “I’ve got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with assistance [from] crutches.” Those remarks matched what was visible at Buckingham Palace and put the appearance in the context of a long recovery from multiple procedures.
He has also said, “I’d probably been drinking too much, so my kidneys were messed up,” and, “I was never drunk.” Collins said he spent months in hospital, and his mobility issues have been part of a broader set of health setbacks that also include nerve damage in his hands after a 2007 spinal injury during Genesis’ farewell tour.
Retired in 2022
Collins retired from music in 2022, and he had already retired from drumming after the painful diagnosis. That leaves public appearances like the one at Buckingham Palace as one of the few ways to gauge how much he can still physically manage in public, especially when crutches are part of the image rather than a footnote.
Jill Collins’ post also placed him in the same frame as Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster, which sharpened the contrast between a formal royal charity event and the very visible signs of mobility trouble. For readers tracking Collins’ condition, the practical takeaway is simple: he is still appearing in public, but he is doing it with help.
