Friends Till The End: Inside Details From Princess Diana and Elton John’s Friendship

The fact that Elton John and Princess Diana were pals and then fell out is common knowledge. However, no one knew what had caused the rupture until the famous singer revealed the truth in his autobiography, titled Me.

Not only does Me feature information on Elton John, but it also includes shocking disclosures about what Princess Diana and the other members of the royal family were really like when no one was watching.

When Elton John’s book was first published, it caused controversy for some reason, and it’s possible that it was because John revealed some information that gave Rod Stewart fans a cause to express skepticism.

Elton and Diana eventually crossed paths at a celebration held in honor of Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday in 1981. They continued to communicate with one another after that eventful meeting and gradually grew a firm bond of friendship.

Elton was also able to become acquainted with Princes Harry and William. In addition, he contributed an article to Time magazine in 2018 that honored Harry for being named one of the Time 100 for that year.

Elton mentioned in his speech, “What a joy it has been to see that young boy grow to inherit his mother’s warmth, sense of humor, and courage to stand up and champion the causes he truly believes in.”

The question is, what precipitated the disagreement between Diana and Elton? The singer broached the subject of their dispute not long after the demise of Princess Diana.

In an interview conducted by David Frost from the BBC, Elton John disclosed that there was a small disagreement that took place at a charity event in which both participated. The two of them continued writing each other letters; nevertheless, neither of them ever reacted to the written communication received from the other.

Versace had been a friend of Elton and Diana. He played a significant role in the event that ultimately led to the two people becoming estranged from one another. On July 15, 1997, the designer was fatally attacked in front of his residence, which was a tragic turn of events.

In his autobiography titled Me, Elton offered his thoughts on the burial of Princess Diana. Due to the fact that they were just 15 and 12 years old, the princes remained “completely shell-shocked,” owing to the fact that they were still adolescents and were, therefore, unable to conceal their emotions entirely, although they were expected to.

According to what Elton wrote, after the funeral was over, he went straight to the recording studio to get “Candle in the Wind” ready for release. Then, when he had arrived at his home at long last, he was overwhelmed with grief.

Regrettably, “Candle in the Wind” continued to haunt Elton long after the incident had passed. When the single had been out for a while, “I started feeling really uncomfortable with it,” he wrote.

He wanted to put an end to his misery. That’s why when he was asked to talk about the funeral on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he politely declined to discuss it. In addition to this, he came to a conclusion that “Candle in the Wind” would never be released again.

After Diana’s death, Elton disclosed information about the “surreal” royal celebration where he had previously encountered Diana. Because Her Majesty the Queen was present, and in order to show respect to the reigning monarch, the disco music was turned down to almost as low as it was possible to go without completely turning it off.

During the course of the party, Elton interacted with many members of the royal family, including the Queen. He added that Princess Anne had requested him to dance with her to the tune of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog.”

Elton danced together with Princess Anne and the Queen–who was still carrying her handbag, at the disco. This disco was the quietest Bill Haley had ever performed. Elton kept his dancing as subtle as possible, acting as casual as he could be.

Diana’s remarkable interpersonal abilities enabled her to engage with everyone, and as a result, she was a welcome relief to have around during that uncomfortable scenario. 

In his book, Elton told a tale about the Queen that was rather astonishing. She was the subject of the narrative. As stated in the story, he was present when she smacked another member of the royal family.

Considering Elton’s viewpoint, the Queen was not particularly pleased with the response given by the viscount. “When he continually tried to fob her, the Queen lightly slapped him across the face, saying ‘Don’t’ — SLAP — ‘argue’ — SLAP — ‘with’ — SLAP — ‘me’ — SLAP — ‘I’ — SLAP — ‘am’ — SLAP — ‘THE QUEEN!” It was only natural for Elton to be caught by surprise by such a statement.

Elton can’t help but think that he was just as perplexed as everyone else about how he had managed to network with such prominent people, and he can’t help but assume that others were similarly puzzled.

Elton continued by saying that Diana stood out from the rest of her family in a number of ways. One of the qualities he admired most about her was what he called her “incredible social ease,” which is the ability to make other individuals feel altogether comfy when they are in her presence.

Elton proceeded to say, “That famous photo of her holding an AIDS patient’s hand at the London Middlesex Hospital — that was Diana. ” He continued by affirming that although it was clear that she was attempting to make a significant point, he did not believe it was her primary goal.

Continuing his effusive praise for Diana, Elton called her “fabulous company — the best dinner party guest” in his book. He genuinely loved how Diana had made an impression on everyone around her, particularly on his own life.

David Furnish, Elton’s caring husband, had allegedly tossed a party during the filming of the original Lion King film. The couple overcompensated for the small guest list by inviting Princess Diana and a slew of celebrities, including George Michael, Sylvester Stallone, Richard Curtis, Richard Gere, and Emma Freud.

At a certain point during the party, Richard Gere became linked with Diana, and she gave the idea that she was also attracted to him. Elton also revealed that the two were unmarried at that time because Diana’s relationship with Charles had broken down, and Richard’s marriage to Cindy Crawford had ended by that point.

However, there was another person at the gathering who did not appear to enjoy the talk. Elton continued his story, “As the rest of us chatted, I couldn’t help but notice that there was an odd atmosphere in the room.”

Elton hypothesized, “I think [Stallone] may have turned up to the party with the express intention of picking Diana up — only to find his plans for the evening ruined.” According to the musician, an even more disagreeable circumstance would emerge later on in the night.

Upon his return, Elton John’s husband said there was “a situation.” According to the rumors, Gere and Stallone were allegedly going to get into a physical fight involving Princess Diana when Furnish caught them! Sharing food together did nothing to ease the tension in the situation. 

Elton additionally asserted that Sylvester Stallone had declared, “I never would have come if I’d known Prince… Charming was gonna be here. If I’d wanted her, I would’ve taken her!” After Sylvester Stallone’s car had driven away, reports state that the guitarist and Furnish burst out laughing as a result of this outburst. 

The seasoned performer mused, “Maybe [Diana] hadn’t realized what was happening. Or maybe stuff like that happened all the time, and she was used to it.”  After her passing, many people talked about the “Diana Effect,”  owing to the way she was able to change the public’s attitudes toward the British monarchy as well as AIDS, bulimia, and mental health.

Subsequently, along the pages of his book, Elton talks about the episode that drove a wedge between him and Diana and how it led to their separation. “She was a very dear friend for years, and then, completely unexpectedly, we fell out,” he wrote. 

On the other hand, the artist stated that Diana had suddenly “got cold feet,” changed her mind, and decided to withdraw her support for the project. That was perfectly reasonable.

Elton continued by saying, “At the last moment, Diana withdrew her foreword. She said she had no idea of the book’s contents, which just wasn’t true.” The book in question contained many such pictures.

Elton recounts the issue in his autobiography, stating, “I wrote back to [Diana], calling her out, telling her how much money she had cost the AIDS Foundation, and reminding her that she had seen the book.”

Despite the fact that Elton and Diana were having issues with one another, the musician couldn’t help but be worried about his long-lost friend. In his biography, he said he had had a feeling that something wasn’t right but wasn’t sure what it was. 

Nonetheless, after Versace passed away, Diana sought out her longtime friend to see how he was doing, and Elton would never forget how kind Diana had been to him at that moment. 

Elton said, “She asked how I was if I’d spoken to Donatella [Versace’s sister]. Then she uttered the words, ‘I’m so sorry. It was a silly falling-out. Let’s be friends.” She attended the funeral with Elton and looked absolutely stunning the whole time. 

This is a well-known picture of Princess Diana and Elton from the funeral, where Diana appears to be reaching out to obtain something from him when in fact, she was just reaching out for a mint. Unfortunately, the photo was taken at an awkward angle. 

In the end, Elton revealed the last occasion he spoke to Diana. After the funeral, he wrote her a letter of gratitude; in response, “She offered to be a patron of the AIDS Foundation and asked if he would become involved with her landmine charity.”

The way the pop star describes the princess, it’s clear he still has a lot of respect and love for the princess. Elton remarked of Diana in an interview on the British talk show Lorraine in 2018: “She was very much loved. She was a controversial figure in some respects — but not to me.”

The wonderful connection, which obviously was extremely significant to Elton, came to an end, and it was a heartbreaking experience all around. And this wasn’t the first occasion he’d had to face the grief of losing a close companion.