Why Palace May Not Have Wanted Elton John To Sing ‘Candle In The Wind’ At Princess Diana’s Funeral

Elton John’s performance of “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana’s funeral has gone down in history, but as newly released government documents suggest, it almost didn’t happen. Documents released by the UK National Archives suggest that there may have been resistance within the palace to the idea of having Elton perform, with possible concern that the lyrics were “too sentimental” – leading the Dean of Westminster to write a note to a royal courtier advocating for the performance.