Buckingham Palace didn’t want Elton John to perform at Princess Diana’s funeral, according to government documents released by the British national archives this week.
Why Elton John nearly didn’t perform at Princess Diana’s funeral
Elton John, who had been close friends with Princess Diana performed a reworked version of “Candle In The Wind,” a song that was originally written in memory of Marilyn Monroe, at Diana’s funeral in 1997.
The singer-songwriter and his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin changed the first line of the song from “Goodbye Norma Jean” (Monroe’s real name) to “Goodbye England’s rose.”
However, the contents of the archival government documents which were first reported on by Sky News state that senior members of the royal household believed the lyrics to “Candle in The Wind” were “too sentimental” for the occasion.
Westminster Abbey; the royal church where Diana’s funeral took place had a solo saxophonist on standby to perform the song in the event that the palace refused to allow John to perform.
