The Duke and Duchess of Sussex paid a special tribute to Sir Elton John ahead of his farewell concert at Dodgers Stadium.
The 75-year-old singer performed at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday as part of his final Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour date in North America. The performance was also streamed live by Disney+ for the concert special, Elton John Live: Dodger Stadium Farewell.
Ahead of the concert, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appeared in a compilation of pre-recorded messages from stars, fellow musicians and even President Joe Biden who shared their praise for Sir Elton.
In the video, which has since been job On social media, the royal couple praised Elton John on his decades-long career and thanked the British singer for his close friendship with Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, and their two children – Archie, three, and Lilibet, one.
“Hi Elton, we just wanted to say congratulations,” Meghan began in the couple’s message, before Harry also chimed in with “congratulations.”
“And that we are so proud of you. We are so grateful to have been able to see you on your farewell tour as well,” the Duchess continued.
Prince Harry added: “And thank you for entertaining everyone for so many decades. Thank you for being the friend you were to my mother, thank you for being our friend. Thank you for being the friend of our children and thank you for entertaining people around the world.
“Even though it’s officially your retirement, it won’t be your last gig, we know that. But we love you and congratulations on an amazing career,” he concluded.
At the end of the clip, Meghan is seen resting her head on her husband’s shoulder as she says goodbye to the camera. The 41-year-old Duchess was seen wearing a dark brown top, while the 38-year-old royal wore a blue suit and white shirt. The video appeared to have been filmed in the couple’s Archewell offices, as the foundation’s logo was visible on the double doors behind them.
The royal couple have been friends with Elton John for many years. The singer was close to the late Princess of Wales and maintained a relationship with her son after his death.
The pop singer and the princess are said to have met in 1981 when Sir Elton was hired to perform at Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday celebration and the couple bonded on the dance floor. After her death in 1997, he performed his hit song “Candle In The Wind” at Diana’s funeral, with lyrics changed to reflect his life.
In 2018, the ‘Rocket Man’ singer performed at the Sussexes’ wedding at Windsor Castle and hosted the couple at his home in Nice, France in 2019 – even allowing them to use his private jet.
Elton John paid tribute to his close friend Princess Diana in August, on the 25th anniversary of her death. The ‘Bennie And The Jets’ musician posted a photo of the two of them on his Instagram with the caption, “We will always miss you.”
However, it seems her memory of the princess lives on in Prince Harry. John previously spoke about the similarities between mother and son.
“We’ve worked together many times, we’ve gone to the International AIDS Conference together, and although we’re not in the back pockets, I have a certain feeling for him because he reminded me so much of Diana. “, said the singer. British GQ in reference to Prince Harry.
“I love that he walks into a room and disarms people immediately, which in my entire life I’ve only seen about two or three people able to do,” he added. “One was Bill Clinton, the other was Princess Diana and the other is Harry.”
