Elton John was almost denied permission by the royal family to perform at Princess Diana's funeral.
A set of newly released government papers from Britain’s National Archives, which were first reported on by, reveals that Buckingham Palace did not want John to perform his updated version of the song during the Princess of Wales’ funeral in 1997.
“This is a crucial point in the service and we would urge boldness. It is where the unexpected happens and something of the modern world that the princess represented,” he wrote in his note to Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Ross, a senior member of the royal household. “I respectfully suggest that anything classical or choral is inappropriate. Better would be the enclosed song by Elton John , which would be powerful.
“Candle In the Wind 1997,” alternatively known as “Goodbye England’s Rose,” went on to become one of Elton John’s biggest hits in his extensive career. The updated version of his 1973 track
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