By Victoria Johns
Elton John and Prince Harry used to get on famously well until the Spare star ended up being blacklisted from the singer's Oscars party, according to reports.
Harry, 38, who for years was always welcome at the annual A-list bash in Hollywood, shared a close bond with the Rocket Man star, 76, after Elton performed a heartfelt rendition of Candle in the Wind at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.
However, when Harry asked the singer if he and wife Meghan Markle could hide out at Elton's mansion in France when he felt like he was "losing it" from "press intrusion", things reportedly took a turn. Despite saying the "best part" of the trip was seeing Elton and his husband David Furnish “fall in love with [Harry's son] Archie”, a disagreement on the last night of the visit put a stop to any future invites.
In Spare, Harry writes Elton planned to serialise his autobiography in the Daily Mail – a publication the Sussexes have taken legal action against previously. The prince said he felt he had no choice but to voice his concerns and ask why the multi-Grammy award winner chose a newspaper, which he said made his life “miserable”.
Elton responded he “wanted people to read” the book, and Harry backed off because he didn’t want to “push” the matter any further. “I loved him. I’ll always love him. And I also didn’t want to spoil the holiday,” Harry added.
Nevertheless, it has since been reported that Harry and Meghan may not share the same closeness they once did with the Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me star - given their absence at his renowned Academy Awards gathering last year and on Sunday.
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 on Sunday, March 12 2023. Bower, speaking on GB News, alleged that Meghan and Harry, who left the UK to settle in the US in 2020, "weren't even invited to Elton John's party at the Oscars", claiming: "they really are nobodies in Hollywood".
Despite their reported frosty friendship, Harry still writes with deep gratitude for Elton's tribute at Diana's funeral. Recalling the moment the star sat down at the piano in Westminster Abbey in 1997, he says: "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.”
He continued: “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.” The prince concludes he remembered “one pure, indisputable memory of the song climaxing” and his eyes “starting to sting” with “tears nearly falling”.
The Mirror has contacted Harry and Elton's reps for comment on this story.
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