Phil Collins makes rare public appearance after revealing cascading health issues

Phil Collins made a rare public appearance at Buckingham Palace, four years after retiring over a range of health issues.

The former Genesis frontman and his ex-wife Jill Tavelman celebrated The King’s Trust 50th anniversary on Thursday, with the latter posting about the party via Instagram.

Collins, notably, was using crutches in the photo with his former spouse, as well as Rod Stewart and wife Penny Lancaster.

“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,” the 70-year-old captioned the upload.

Tavelman, who was married to Collins from 1984 to 1996, noted that the musician “was the very first ambassador 40 years ago and a trustee even before that!”

Her former spouse, 75, has remained largely out of the spotlight after several health issues left him unable to play drums.

After a five-decade career, Collins was forced to retire in March 2022.

“It’s still kind of sinking in a bit,” Collins said in his “Phil Collins: Drummer First” documentary, which premiered in December 2024.

“I’ve spent all my life playing drums,” he added. “To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock. 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.”

His son Nicholas Collin noted the singer underwent a “big surgery on his neck [in 2015] that stemmed from all those years playing drums and bad posture.”

Phil also suffers from drop foot, a condition that makes it difficult to lift the front part of one’s foot, which has made drumming nearly impossible. 

Six months before officially quitting music, the Grammy winner went public with his health woes.

“I’m kind of physically challenged a bit, which is very frustrating because I’d love to be playing up there,” he lamented on “BBC Breakfast” in September 2021.

“I can barely hold a stick with this hand, so there are certain physical things which get in the way,” Phil explained. “I don’t know if I want to go out on the road anymore.”

In February 2025, Phil heartbreakingly revealed that his condition has only worsened.

“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens,” he told Mojo magazine last year. “But I’m not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I’ve been sick, I mean very sick.”

Most recently, he called the issues an “ongoing thing” in a January BBC Two interview, per Variety.

“I have a 24 hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication,” he revealed. “I’ve had challenges with my knee — I had everything that could go wrong with me did go wrong with me. I got COVID in hospital my kidneys started to back up. Everything … seemed to sort of converge at the same time.”

Phil clarified he has “a knee that works” after five operations and “can walk, albeit with assistance [from] crutches or whatever.”