Elton John marked the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana yesterday with a short but sweet message on Instagram.
Posting a photo of himself with Diana, Elton said, “You will always be missed.”
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Elton was good friends with Diana but they had a falling out a few months before her death. Writing in his 2019 autobiography, Me: Elton John, the singer explained that it was related to a book Gianna Versace published in early 1997, called Rock & Royalty.
Related: 18 amazing, random and salacious details from Elton John’s new memoir
It featured photographs of major music stars dressed in Versace. The Elton John AIDS Foundation would benefit from some of the proceeds. Diana agreed to write the forward, “but then got cold feet,” wrote Elton.
“I think Buckingham Palace didn’t like the idea of a member of the Royal Family having anything to do with a book that featured shots of naked guys with towels draped around them.
“So at the last moment, Diana withdrew her foreword. She said she had no idea of the book’s contents, which just wasn’t true: Gianni had shown her the whole thing and she had said she loved it.
“I wrote back to her, calling her out, telling her how much money she had cost the AIDS Foundation, reminding her that she had seen the book.
“The letter I got back was very formal and severe: ‘Dear Mr. John…’”
Related: Former drag queen recalls private moments with Princess Diana
Reconciliation and ‘Candle In The Wind’
Despite the fallout, the two reconciled just months later when their mutual friend, Versace, was murdered. A tearful Elton sat alongside Diana at the funeral in July of that year.
Just weeks later, on August 31, 1997, Diana herself died in a car crash in Paris. Elton performed at her funeral. He sang a reworked version of ‘Candle In The Wind’.
Elton has remained a friend to Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry. He and his husband David Furnish attended both of their royal weddings. Elton also performed at Harry and Meghan’s reception.
