Elton John stirred up speculation two years ago as he “snubbed” some of the royals from his famous Oscars party in 2023. The Rocketman star and Prince Harry reportedly had a bit of a falling out, leading to the Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle being left off the guest list for Sir Elton’s shindig.
This claim was made by Tom Bower, author of the 2022 book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, following the Academy Awards ceremony of that year. This comes after Harry discussed his relationship with Sir Elton in his explosive memoir Spare.
Sir Elton has been a long-time friend of Harry, who is the youngest son of his close friend Princess Diana. Such was his close relationship with Diana, Sir Elton even performed at her funeral, with a reworked version of his iconic track Candle in the Wind raising money in her memory.
The award-winning songwriter, who has won numerous accolades including his own Academy Awards and Grammys, came to the aid of the Royals when Harry and Meghan faced intense criticism, when they decided to ditch the UK for a new life in the States.
In support of the couple, Sir Elton said he had become “deeply distressed” by the “distorted and malicious account in the press” when it emerged they had stayed at his property for a holiday.
However, Harry expressed his disappointment with Sir Elton when it was revealed that the singer planned to serialise his memoir in the Daily Mail, due to his recent legal action with the newspaper.
He felt that the newspaper had ruined his peace of mind. However, Sir Elton John was eager for more people to “read his book”. Reportedly, this caused Harry to take a step back from their friendship.
Moreover, Harry continued by saying: “I loved him. I’ll always love him. And I also didn’t want to spoil the holiday.”
In another excerpt from Spare, which has quickly become one of the top-selling non-fiction books in history, Harry outlined the poignant moment when the celebrity singer performed at his mother’s funeral in 1997.
Harry wrote: “He rose slowly, stiffly, as if he was one of the great kings buried for centuries beneath the abbey, suddenly roused back to life. He walked to the front, seated himself at a grand piano.”
Subsequently, he mentioned: “Is there anyone who doesn’t know that he sang Candle in the Wind, a version he’d reworked for Mummy? I can’t be sure the notes in my head are from that moment or from clips I’ve seen since. Possibly they’re vestiges of recurring nightmares.”
Nevertheless, it was speculated that Harry and Meghan may not share the same closeness they once did with the 77-year-old – given their absence at his renowned Academy Awards gathering.
Bower, speaking on GB News, alleged that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who left the UK to settle in the US in 2020, “weren’t even invited to Elton John’s party at the Oscars… they really are nobodies in Hollywood”.
Elton’s yearly soiree raises significant funds towards battling HIV, with approximately $9million (£7.4million) individually gathered for the support of his AIDS Foundation, I’m Still Standing.
The fight against HIV is a cause that Sir Elton John, Princess Diana, and Prince Harry all hold dearly. Princess Diana made history by opening the UK’s first dedicated HIV unit at London Middlesex Hospital back in 1987.
Sir Elton John is also a good friend of Prince William, Harry’s big brother and the future king. But he’s even closer to Prince Harry. It was said that Sir Elton talked to Harry almost every day.
An insider close to the Royal Family told the Daily Mirror in 2018: “Elton speaks to Harry and Meghan every day. He’s an inspiration, an almost ‘motherly’ figure. He is a constant support, especially to Meghan, and is very protective of them both.”
Harry and Meghan showed how much they care about Sir Elton by making a special video for his goodbye concert, which marks the end of his singing career. The Prince expressed his sincere gratitude towards her by saying: “Thank you for being the friend that you were to my mum. Thank you for being our friend, thank you for being a friend to our kids… we love you.”
