Sir Elton John sings Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Photo / Getty Images
Sir Elton John sings Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Photo / Getty Images
The Dean of Westminster Abbey personally appealed to Buckingham Palace to allow Sir Elton John to perform Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, despite apparent concerns that it was "too sentimental", according to newly released British government documents.
The Very Reverend Dr Wesley Carrargued that allowing the singer to appear would be an "imaginative and generous" gesture to the public, but proposed not printing the lyrics of the song in the order sheet if it was considered "too sentimental", suggesting some resistance as the Royal family struggled to respond to the overwhelming public reaction to her death.
Carr's efforts proved successful and Sir Elton performed at the service which, with 32 million viewers, remains one of the most watched events in British history.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris with Dodi Fayed, her boyfriend, on August 31 1997. The subsequent outpouring of public grief wrongfooted the Royal family, whose initial attempts to deal with it as a private matter triggered accusations of callousness and indifference from the public, for whom Diana had become a popular hero.
The Dean of Westminster, who had been in the job only six months, acted as a negotiator between Buckingham Palace and the Spencer family over the funeral details.
At the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in September 1997, Elton John sang a rewritten version of his song Candle in the Wind. Photo / Getty Images
The reworked version of Candle in the Wind was already immensely popular before the funeral, with Carr pointing out that it was "being widely played and sung throughout the nation in memorial to Diana. It is all the time on the radio".
He suggested that using it for the funeral service would be an example of "popular culture at its best".
Diana is believed to have first met Sir Elton in 1981 and they remained friends until her death.
The original 1973 version of the song was dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. For the 1997 version, the lyrics were changed throughout, with the opening words "Goodbye, Norma Jean", Monroe's birth name, becoming "Goodbye England's rose".
The reworked single would go on to sell more than 33 million copies worldwide, and became the UK's biggest selling single of all time.
Song 'captured the public mood'
In a note to Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Ross, a senior member of the Royal household, Carr said that it had captured the public mood.
"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.
"I respectfully suggest that anything classical or choral (even a popular classic such as something by Lloyd Webber) is inappropriate. Better would be the enclosed song by Elton John (known to millions and his music was enjoyed by the princess), which would be powerful.
"He has written new words to the tune which is being widely played and sung throughout the nation in memorial to Diana. It is all the time on the radio."
He added: "Its use here would be imaginative and generous to the millions who are feeling personally bereaved: it is popular culture at its best.
"If it were thought the words too sentimental (although that is by no means a bad thing given the national mood), they need not be printed – only sung. I would be prepared to discuss the significance of this suggestion over the phone with anyone."
The note, which was copied to 10 Downing St, is contained in a series of National Archive releases of declassified documents. There is no record of a reply from Buckingham Palace.
Were the Palace to reject the idea outright, Westminster Abbey had arranged for a young saxophonist to perform an instrumental version of the song.
