A video of a conversation between King Charles and a former Microsoft employee has surfaced online. The clip shows the royalty intently listening to the man’s layoff story with former Apple CEO Tim Cook standing behind them. The interaction took place at a hi-tech music workshop for young people organised in collaboration between King’s Trust charity and Apple.
“I’ve actually done several courses. So, I used to work at Microsoft, and unfortunately, there was a lay-off worldwide,” the man tells the King as Cook also listens. The event, attended and backed by the King, aimed to teach practical skills to young people to help them find work in the creative industries. It was held in a music hall in Apple’s headquarters. In addition to the royalty and the tech executive, Sir Elton John, a long-time supporter of both The King’s Trust and Apple Music, also attended the event. Celebrating the event, former Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted, “We were honored to host His Majesty King Charles III in London and celebrate Apple’s work with the @KingsTrust. We were thrilled the incomparable Sir Elton John joined us for a moment at Apple Music Hall! He has now moved to an executive chairman role, and John Ternus stepped in as the current CEO of the company.
Cook stepped down as CEO of Apple in 2026 after 15 years. Though the man didn’t mention exactly when he was laid off from Microsoft, the company eliminated about 4,800 roles earlier this year, which is nearly 2.1% of its global workforce.
