People USA – September 02, 2019

Scoop

Elton’s Close Bond with Diana

Princess Diana “was one of my dearest friends,”

John tweeted on Aug. 19. The two (left, in 1993)

met at a 1981 party for Prince Andrew’s 21st

birthday—“We danced the Charleston,” John

later said—and were both early champions for

AIDS awareness. After a falling out (Diana was

upset by personal photos John shared in a

charity book), the two reconciled just before her

death. He sang “Candle in the Wind” at Diana’s

1997 funeral, calling the moment “surreal.”

Elton John has known Prince

Harry since the royal was a little

boy, and their friendship has

endured through the decades,

from the 1997 death of Harry’s

mother, Princess Diana, to

Harry’s 2018 wedding to

Meghan Markle, where the pop

icon performed “Tiny Dancer”

at the reception. In early

August he went the extra mile

once again by loaning the

French Riviera villa he shares

with husband David Furnish to

the Sussexes for a private

getaway with their 3-month-

old son Archie. (The family had

returned a few days earlier

from Ibiza, where they

celebrated Meghan’s 38th

birthday.) “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 tranquility of

our home,” John, 72, wrote on

Twitter. The 1920s estate in

the hills above Nice, France,

features views of

the Mediterranean

and a tower with a

telescope for

spotting the Alps

in the distance.

The vacation

sparked backlash

in the U.K. press

when critics complained that

the couple had flown via

private jet despite their

outspoken conservation-

minded views. “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,” John

wrote, noting that he and

Furnish provided the private

flight. “To support Prince

Harry’s commitment

to the environment,

we ensured their

flight was carbon-

neutral,” he noted.

(This typically

involves calculating

how much green-

house gas emissions

a flight generates and

financially contributing to a

project that aims to reduce

emissions by that same

amount.) Ellen DeGeneres

also defended the royal couple,

Portia de Rossi, “met Prince

Harry and Meghan in England

to talk about their work on

wildlife conservation. They

were the most down-to-earth,

compassionate people.

Imagine being attacked for

everything you do when all

you’re trying to do is make the

world better.”

For their part Harry, 34,

and Meghan—who are

preparing to tour South Africa

this fall with Archie in tow—

had no comment on the

contro versy, choosing instead

to quote Nobel Peace Prize-

winner Desmond Tutu on

Instagram: “Do your little bit

of good where you are.”

—SIMON PERRY

‘[WE] WANTED

THE YOUNG

FAMILY TO HAVE

A PRIVATE

HOLIDAY INSIDE

THE SAFETY...

OF OUR HOME’

—ELTON JOHN

Riviera Retreat

Meghan and Harry

whisked Archie (below,

with Meghan in July)

to John’s lavish French

villa, which was

previously featured in

Architectural Digest.

Meghan & Harry

Vacation

at Elton’s

22

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