Why did Elton John perform Candle In The Wind at Princess Diana’s funeral and what changes to the lyrics did he make?
TWENTY years ago, Elton John caused millions to weep as he sang a reworked version of Candle in the Wind in an emotional farewell to Princess Diana.
The song is the biggest selling single of all time after 33 million copies were sold but what is the story behind the lyrics? We reveal all...
What is Candle in the Wind?
Elton John originally recorded the single in 1973 in honour of Marilyn Monroe who had died 11 years earlier.
After his close friend Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997, Elton teamed up with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin asking him to revise the lyrics to honour the Princess.
It was recorded at Townhouse Studies in West London and re-released as Candle in the Wind 1997.
Elton has only ever performed the single once - at Princess Di's Westminster Abbey funeral - and instead uses the original version at concerts.
He has repeatedly turned down requests to perform the tribute again and said he never would unless asked by Princes William and Harry.
The single became the fastest-selling single in the UK, selling 658,000 copies on its first day of release, and over 1.5 million in its first week.
It is widely regarded as the best-selling single in the world but there is confusion due to a lack of information on sales for the record's main contender for the number-one spot, Bing Crosby's recording of White Christmas.
How were the lyrics changed?
The opening lines of the 1973 version, "Goodbye Norma Jeane, though I never knew you at all," were adapted to "Goodbye England's rose, may you ever grow in our hearts."
All the lyrics were changed to reflect the Princess' life following her tragic death.
In the original, the lyrics reflected Marilyn Monroe's turbulent life, which was cut short when she was aged just 36.
But Candle in the Wind was kept as the title after Taupin was inspired by the phrase when he heard someone use it to describe Janis Joplin, who died of a heroin overdose in 1970.
How did Elton John end up performing at the funeral?
Elton was plunged into a period of shock after Diana was killed in the crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Just one month before, he had been comforted by the Princess at the funeral for close friend, Italian designer Gianni Versace.
Diana and Elton had been friends since 1981 when he performed at Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle and received a thank-you letter from the then 19-year-old Diana.
After her death, he was asked by the family to write a tribute for Diana, which he performed at her funeral on September 6, 1997, at Westminster Abbey.
The singer revealed that playing Candle in the Wind at her funeral was "surreal".
CANDLE IN THE WIND - HOW THE LYRICS WERE CHANGED FOR DIANA
Goodbye England's rose;
may you ever grow in our hearts.
You were the grace that placed itself
where lives were torn apart.
You called out to our country,
and you whispered to those in pain.
Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name.
And it seems to me you lived your life
like a candle in the wind:
never fading with the sunset
when the rain set in.
And your footsteps will always fall here,
among England's greenest hills;
your candle's burned out long before
your legend ever will.
Loveliness we've lost;
these empty days without your smile.
This torch we'll always carry
for our nation's golden child.
And even though we try,
the truth brings us to tears;
all our words cannot express
the joy you brought us through the years.
Goodbye England's rose,
from a country lost without your soul,
who'll miss the wings of your compassion
more than you'll ever know.
He added: "What was going through my mind was 'Don't sing a wrong note. Be stoic. Don't break down and just do it to the best you can possibly do it without showing any emotion whatsoever'.
"My heart was beating quite a lot, I have to say."
Prince Harry has since revealed listening to Elton performing the song was “like someone firing an arrow” through his emotional defences.
The prince said he was determined not to cry in public but the song brought him to the brink.
He added in an interview for BBC1 documentary Diana, 7 Days: “Elton’s song was incredibly emotional and nearly brought me to the point of crying in public, which I’m glad I didn’t do.”
Harry said that time changed him but he still cannot cry in public.
When was Princess Diana’s funeral?
Princess Diana was laid to rest on September 6, 1997, exactly a week after her horror car crash in Paris.
As many as 2,000 people attended the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, where her coffin was brought in on a gun carriage from Kensington Palace.
Although it was not an official state funeral, a full deployment of royal pageantry characterised the sombre ceremony.
As the coffin made the 1hr 47min journey from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey, distraught young Princes William and Harry walked behind along with Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer.
The streets were lined with more than 1million people, many of whom lay flowers along the procession route which passed Buckingham Palace, where the Queen was seen bowing her head.
The coffin arrived for the beginning of the funeral ceremony in Westminster Abbey at 11am, where mourners included the entire Royal family, all living former Prime Ministers, and dozens of celebrity friends.
George Cary, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, led the service, while Charles Spencer read the eulogy in which he criticised the Royal family for their treatment of her.
As many as 30million viewers witnessed the ceremony on TV.
A private burial took place later that day at Althorp Park on the Spencer family’s grounds.