Elton John Reveals He Had a Knotty Relationship with Princess Diana

The iconic singer and the late Princess became good friends right after meeting for the first time in 1981. It was a friendship that would last until her death in 1997, but it had its up and downs.

72-year-old singer Elton John had been close to the British Royals since the early 1970s, but he never was as intimate to any of them as he grew to be to late Princess Diana, whom he met at Windsor Castle in a 1981 birthday party.

"[I was] playing for Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle. When I arrived, there was no one there but the dance band and Princess Diana. We danced the Charleston alone on the floor for 20 minutes," John shared on his biography.

From then on, John and Diana formed a strong bond that has continued between the musician and his late friend’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry, whom he met when they were little boys.

The two friends also shared a passion for the cause of AIDS advocacy, and John has always been grateful to her for her support to the gay community during the AIDS/HIV crisis.

But early in 1997, Diana and John had a strong disagreement over the latter including images of the former and her sons in a book about “Rock and Royalty” that Diana considered to be compromising.

Later that year, Diana died in a car crash in Paris, but not before she and John had the chance to reconcile. In July 1997, Diana and John attended the funeral of their mutual friend Gianni Versace side by side.

Diana was a great support to John during those days of grief, and he could have never imagined that in a matter of months she was going to be gone as well.

“We had our fallings out but we reconciled as well at the end and then you know it was extraordinary summer Gianni Versace was murdered and then Diana rang and me up and reconciled and six weeks later I’m in the same house and she’s dead. It was an extraordinary and mesmerizing summer,” the “Your Song” singer said in January 2018.

John cemented his reputation as one of Diana’s most devoted friends when he rewrote his song “Candle in the Wind” to dedicate its new version to the late Princess during her funeral.

The artist was also part of the 2007 Concert for Diana, marking the 10th anniversary of her tragic death, and he performed at Prince Harry’s 2018 wedding to former TV star Meghan Markle.

Recently, when 34-year-old Harry made it to Time’s 100 most influential people of 2019 list, John was chosen to write a short piece about the Prince, and he used the opportunity to show his love for the young royal and his late mother.

"I first met an extremely shy and sweet Prince Harry at a private lunch at Kensington Palace, given by his mother Princess Diana for Gianni Versace and me many years ago," John wrote.

"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 “I’m Still Standing” singer went on.

"Prince Harry has that rare ability to walk into a room full of strangers and make everyone feel comfortable and at ease," John praised his friend’s youngest son.