Prince Harry and Elton John in 2018. (Image: Getty)
and have reportedly experienced some ups and downs in their friendship and there are rumours of a recent rift between them. The Duke of Sussex formed a bond with Sir Elton due to the singer’s close relationship with Harry’s late mother, . Elton memorably performed a heartfelt version of Candle in the Wind at Diana’s funeral in 1997.
At Harry and ‘s Royal wedding reception in 2018, Sir Elton entertained guests with four songs, later praising them as a “great audience”. It was also reported that Elton spoke to the couple “every day” and was “very protective of them both”. Harry and Meghan also showed how grateful they were to Elton by making a special video for his goodbye concert. Harry said: “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.”
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Elton John with Harry and William at Concert For Diana. (Image: Getty)
Fast forward to 2020, amidst the turmoil of Megxit when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior royals and relocated to the US, Harry sought solace in Elton’s support.
The youngest son of King Charles requested refuge at Elton and David Furnish’s French mansion, feeling overwhelmed by “press intrusion”. After their stay, Harry fondly recalled that the “best part” of their visit was witnessing Elton and his husband “fall in love with [Harry and Meghan’s son] Archie”.
Sir Elton expressed his support for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, displaying visual homages to the couple during his concert in California. He vehemently defended their visit to his French abode on a private jet which had stirred controversy considering ‘s environmental advocacy.
The Rocketman singer addressed the media furore on Twitter/X, saying: “I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice last week.”
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Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle with Elton John at The Lion King premiere. (Image: Getty)
He put into words his special bond with Princess Diana and his protective instincts towards her son: “‘s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.”
Sir Elton outlined the thoughtful reasoning behind offering them refuge: “After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquillity of our home.”
Addressing the eco-friendly steps taken, he added: “To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight. To support ‘s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.”
However, not everything was as harmonious as it seemed. Harry touched on a clash with Elton during the notorious trip in his 2023 tell-all book, Spare.
Harry recalled discovering the singer’s autobiography, Me, was set to be serialised in the Daily Mail. The Duke claimed that he backed down on a row after Sir Elton explained he agreed to the serialisation to encourage readership of his book. Harry wrote: “I loved him. I’ll always love him. And I also didn’t want to spoil the holiday.”el
Despite Harry’s attempts to smooth things over, rumours have surfaced suggesting that he and Meghan may not be as close with Sir Elton as before, highlighted by their absence from his famous Oscars party for two consecutive years.
These speculations were fuelled by Tom Bower, the author behind the 2022 title, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors.
On GB News, Bower asserted that the Sussexes, who moved to the US in 2020, “weren’t even invited to ‘s party at the Oscars”, concluding that “they really are nobodies in “.