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Diana’s Most Famous Funeral Song Was Nearly Left Out

A new memoir by Earl Spencer reveals that Elton John’s historic performance of Candle in the Wind at Princess Diana’s funeral almost never happened, and that Richard Branson played a decisive role in changing the plans

For millions watching around the world, Elton John’s performance of Candle in the Wind became the defining musical moment of Princess Diana’s funeral and one of the most enduring images of the extraordinary public grief that followed her death.

According to a newly published memoir by Diana’s brother, however, the song that came to symbolize that day was never supposed to be part of the service.

In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Earl Charles Spencer reveals that funeral organizers had originally planned for Elton John to perform Your Song at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. The change that ultimately produced one of the most memorable moments in modern British history came only after an intervention by another close friend of the princess: Richard Branson.

Spencer writes that Elton John was selected because those arranging the funeral wanted a ceremony that reflected Diana’s modern outlook rather than the conventions traditionally associated with royal funerals. The decision itself marked a departure from what Spencer described as the “usual old dusty formula” of royal ceremonial tradition.

The first draft of the funeral program, circulated on September 2, reportedly reflected that plan, listing Your Song as Elton John’s contribution to the service.

The turning point came when Branson proposed an alternative.

The Virgin founder, himself a friend of Diana, contacted Elton John with a suggestion that would fundamentally reshape the ceremony. Rather than perform one of his existing hits, Branson suggested rewriting Candle in the Wind, the song originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, and adapting it as a tribute to the Princess of Wales.

Recalling Branson’s account, Spencer writes that he telephoned Elton John and asked: “How about rewriting Candle in the Wind and trying to persuade the Archbishop to allow it at the funeral?”

The idea quickly gathered momentum.

According to Spencer, Westminster Abbey’s organist and choirmaster strongly supported the proposal and sent a fax to the Palace urging approval. He believed the song would help make the service more inclusive and better reflect the millions of people mourning Diana across Britain and around the world.

Once the plan was accepted, lyricist Bernie Taupin reworked the words and faxed them to Elton John in Windsor. From there, the draft traveled through a chain of trusted hands.

Spencer recounts that the revised lyrics were passed to Branson in London before reaching his older sister Sarah in Lincolnshire. She immediately forwarded them to him at Althorp, where he reviewed the text personally.

His response was immediate.

Spencer writes that he approved the song without hesitation and found the rewritten lyrics deeply moving even before hearing them performed inside Westminster Abbey.

When the funeral took place, Elton John’s rendition of Candle in the Wind instantly became one of the defining moments of the service. Spencer’s eulogy followed shortly afterward, but he admits that he deliberately avoided fully immersing himself in the performance.

The reason, he explains, was simple.

“I did not listen too carefully to the song that day,” Spencer writes, fearing that the emotional power of the tribute might overwhelm him before he stood before the congregation to deliver the address that would become one of the most remembered speeches of Diana’s funeral.

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