Elton John turned down Prince Harry’s request for mother Diana’s death anniversary as it was too ‘macabre’
LONDON, ENGLAND: Prince Harry apparently asked Sir Elton John to perform 'Candle in the Wind' to honor his mother Princess Diana on the anniversary of her death. But in a twist Harry didn’t see coming, Elton turned him down.
Instead of reprising the emotionally charged song he had performed at Diana’s funeral, Elton decided to sing 'Your Song' as he thought 'Candle in the Wind' might have been a bit too “macabre” for the occasion.
Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana
Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana was rather unforgettable—he rewrote 'Candle in the Wind' (originally penned as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe) into a deeply moving homage to his dear departed friend and performed it at her funeral on September 6, 1997.
The single was re-released afterward, with all the proceeds supporting Diana’s charities. Elton shared in his own autobiography 'Me' just how intense that moment was, worrying he might accidentally sing the original lyrics during his performance.
“What if I went into autopilot and sang the wrong version?” he admitted, adding that even though he’d always resisted using teleprompters he made an exception at Diana’s funeral to keep himself on track.
"Up until then, I’d been against their use. Partly because it seemed antithetical to rock and roll’s spontaneous spirit — I’m pretty sure Little Richard wasn’t reading off an Autocue when he recorded 'Long Tall Sally' — and partly because I just thought: Come on, do your job properly," he said.
“I’d performed 'Candle In The Wind' hundreds of times. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that I might lose myself in the performance, forget about the teleprompter and start singing the original lyrics," Elton added.
Elton John's loyalty to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Elton John's connection to Princess Diana didn’t end with her death, he’s remained close to her sons, especially Harry. In fact, he’s even stood up for Harry and his wife Meghan Markle on multiple occasions.
Back in 2019, when the couple faced backlash for using private jets despite their environmental advocacy, Elton publicly defended them. After all, one of those jets was his own—a flight he’d personally arranged to ensure the family’s security. Elton went the extra mile too, offsetting the flight’s carbon emissions as a nod to his own eco-conscious stance.
His loyalty to Diana’s boys is quite evident and he’s clearly taken Harry and Meghan under his wing, shielding them from “relentless and untrue assassinations on their characters” as he has called it.
Harry has said that his mother would likely be heartbroken if she could see the rift between him and his older brother, Prince William. In a revealing 'Good Morning America' interview, he admitted that Diana would have been devastated by the growing tension between the two brothers who were inseparable as children.
Widening rift between Prince William and Prince Harry
Prince Harry’s memoir 'Spare' dives into the intense and increasingly public fallout between him and Prince William, detailing an explosive argument involving Meghan Markle that escalated into a physical altercation.
Harry said William had some harsh words about Meghan, calling her “difficult,” “rude,” and “abrasive”—labels that echoed the negative portrayals Meghan has often faced in the press.
In a raw interview with ITV’s Tom Bradby, Harry opened up about the complexity of his relationship with his family and how — until recently — the royal family’s perspective has been the dominant narrative. He recalled the “red mist” he saw in William during their confrontation, hinting at just how deep-seated their differences have become.
Beyond his personal struggles, Harry’s memoir also sparked backlash for some of his more candid admissions — especially regarding his time in the military.
In particular, his accounts of encounters with Taliban fighters have drawn criticism, including from a former Defence Secretary who called them “completely inappropriate," Mirror reported.
