King Charles, Tim Cook, and Elton John launch Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs at Apple Music Hall
Apple's new workshop programme with the King's Trust gives young people in the UK direct access to Apple experts and tools, starting with a music creation session at Battersea Power Station.
King Charles III visited Apple's London headquarters at Battersea Power Station on October 7 to mark the launch of Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs, a new series of workshops that puts young people in front of Apple's own experts, tools, and mentors to build skills for careers in the creative industries. He was joined by Apple executive chairman Tim Cook and Sir Elton John, a longtime supporter of both the charity and Apple Music.
The first session focused on music creation and was led by Prophet Guillory, Apple Music's head of artist services, tools, and community, according to the BBC. The King met the inaugural cohort and heard tracks they had made that morning, then moved to Apple Music Hall, where he, Cook, Elton John, and David Furnish watched a soundcheck by 22-year-old singer Skye Newman ahead of her concert there that evening. The Independent reports that Newman played her song "Crawling," and that the King joked "oh it's beyond me" as Guillory explained the venue's spatial audio system.
"With the launch of the Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs, we're taking that commitment further, connecting the next generation of creators and innovators directly with our experts, technology, and mentorship to help them build vital skills, discover their passions, and thrive in the workforce," said Alisha Johnson Wilder, Apple's senior director of global community impact.
What Creative Labs is
Creative Labs is a set of specialist, industry-led workshops meant to give young people the technology, resources, and practical skills to get into creative work, as described in coverage from the Press Association via GB News. Participants learn directly from Apple staff rather than from a generic curriculum. Music is the first discipline, and AppleInsider says the programme is designed to draw on Apple experts across a range of creative industries. Apple has not yet posted a Newsroom announcement with dates or eligibility details.
A partnership that dates to 2019
Apple and the King's Trust, known until 2024 as the Prince's Trust, have worked together since 2019. Creative Labs sits on top of several existing programmes:
- Achieve: Students aged 11 to 20 in every UK region use Apple's coding resources to design apps that tackle problems in their communities.
- Team: A 12-week course for vulnerable 16- to 25-year-olds that provides Apple devices and learning materials and leads to a Personal Development and Employability qualification.
- AI literacy: The two organisations are building resources on AI literacy and creativity for teachers and young people.
The charity is in its 50th year and says it has helped more than 1.3 million young people across the UK.
Why Battersea
Apple Music Hall opened on September 28 with a set from Elton John, one of the venue's first eight announced shows. According to Apple, the 600-capacity room has a 48-speaker spatial sound system, two recording and mix studios, and wiring for 16 or more cameras, so a single show can produce a Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast mix, and multicamera video. Performances are livestreamed for fans outside London.
The building has its own royal footnote. The BBC notes that Battersea Power Station once supplied electricity to Buckingham Palace, and that the control room switch for the Palace was discreetly labelled "Carnaby Street." The King also has an existing Apple Music connection: last year he released a playlist of 17 of his favourite tracks on the service.
For Cook, the London visit came a day after he was in Strasbourg welcoming the EU's KIDS Act, another public appearance in the outward-facing role he took on when he became executive chairman on September 1.
If Apple ran a Creative Labs workshop near you, which would you sign up for?
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Sources
- BBC News, Sean Coughlan, "King Charles and Elton John in the audience for Apple music workshop," October 7, 2026
- The Independent, Clara Margotin, "King and Sir Elton John enjoy singer Skye Newman's pre-concert performance," October 7, 2026
- GB News, "King Charles teams up with Elton John and Apple boss Tim Cook for special music workshop," October 7, 2026
- AppleInsider, Wesley Hilliard, "Apple x King's Trust Creative Labs launch with star-studded meet and greet," October 7, 2026
- Apple Newsroom, "Apple opens Apple Music Hall, a state-of-the-art live music venue in London," September 2026