Unknown details of Princess Diana's funeral

New documents reveal unknown details of Princess Diana's funeral. The priest wanted Elton John to perform

The Dean of Westminster personally appealed to Buckingham Palace to allow singer Elton John to perform at the funeral.

The latest documents shed new light on one of the most emotional moments of Princess Diana's funeral ceremony, which was held on August 31, 1997.

The head of Westminster Abbey personally appealed to Buckingham Palace to allow singer Elton John to perform at the funeral.

The Reverend Dr. Wesley Carr wrote in a letter to the Royal Family that it would be 'fanciful and generous' to the millions of people 'personally affected' by her death.

Sir Elton John, who was a friend of Diana's, performed a reworked version of Candle in The Wind at her funeral in 1997. Renowned songwriter Bernie Taupin, who worked with Elton for many years, reworked a song dedicated to Marylin Monroe, Candle in the Wind, but adapted the lyrics to the princess, calling it 'Goodbye, English Rose'.

Documents from the National Archives suggest there was a backup plan.

In a message to a senior royal staff official, Dean Wesley Carr recalled that the song was played on the radio in the aftermath of her death. Dean recognized that it would be unconventional, but he called for courage and inclusion in the funeral ceremony of something from the modern world that represented the princess.

- It would be best something from Elton John, If one thought the words were too sentimental (although this is by no means bad given the national mood) they do not have to be printed, just sung, the dean wrote.

Westminster Abbey even had to prepare a saxophonist for a solo performance to perform the song, in case Buckingham Palace rejected Elton John's performance.

The documents also reveal that Westminster Abbey expected Elton John to sing one of his most popular songs 'Your song' at the funeral. The first draft of the event included the lyrics to 'Your Song' whose name was misspelled as 'Our Song'. In the second draft sent to Buckingham Palace, that song was no longer mentioned.

Candle In The Wind became the best-selling single of all time, after Bing Crosby's White Christmas, selling 33 million copies.

Spencer

Recently, a biopic movie about Diana’s life in a period just before her divorce came out.

The plot of ‘Spencer’, which received a five-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival, takes place during the royal family’s Christmas holiday at the Sandringham House in 1991 and shows the downfall of the marriage of Prince Charles and Diana.

Kristen Stewart portrays the late Princess Diana, and the film’s trailer shows moments in which she resists royal traditions and what her life looked like after her divorce from Prince Charles.

The film is already on the list of potential nominations for the 2022 Oscars and has delighted film critics who were among the first to see it at the recent Venice Film Festival. The film hit theaters in early November.

Critics mostly praised Kristen Stewart’s performance, while the audience’s impressions after the trailer came out were divided.