Royal Wedding: Sir Elton John performs classic song from ‘The Lion King’ at reception
(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Sir Elton John has performed for the new royal couple.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married on Saturday in front of a star-studded audience of royals, family and several celebrity guests.
In an intimate wedding reception following the internationally broadcast ceremony, Sir Elton John performed for the couple and their guests.
Prince Harry, now the new Duke of Sussex, reportedly asked Sir Elton John to perform at the reception hosted at St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle.
(Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
A statement from Kensington Palace said: “Sir Elton John has performed at the lunchtime reception for guests celebrating the wedding of Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle.
“Prince Harry asked Sir Elton to perform at the reception which was hosted by Her Majesty The Queen at St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle.
“Sir Elton performed for the newly married couple in recognition of the close connection he has with Prince Harry and his family.”
(IAN WEST/AFP/Getty Images)
According to The Telegraph, the 71-year-old performed hits such as “The Circle of Life” and “Tiny Dancer” to the guests at the reception.
The reception was a more intimate venue than the ceremony, which featured 600 guests and nearly 3,000 invited members of the public in the castle grounds.
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During the ceremony, Sir Elton John was seen wearing his trademark pink glasses alongside his husband David Furnish.
(DANNY LAWSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Earlier reports had stated that the singer cancelled two concerts to make sure he was free for the big day.
The performer was a close friend of the late Princess Diana, William and Harry’s mother, and was a guest at William and Kate’s wedding back in 2011.
In 1997, Sir Elton John famously performed a re-written version of “Candle in the Wind” to mark the death of Princess Diana.
(Michael Kovac/Getty Images for NARAS)
The Rocket Man singer was close friends with the Princess prior to her tragic death 21 years ago.
The pair both fought during the AIDS crisis to challenge the public perception of HIV/AIDS, with their high-profile action helping to change the way the public saw the crisis.
Prince Harry has now followed in his mother’s footsteps with his extensive campaigning on HIV/AIDS issues, marking his first joint event with his then-fiancee Meghan Markle with a World AIDS Day campaign.
Prince Harry said in 2017: “We mustn’t be complacent. We’ve got everything here: all the equipment, all the testing ability.
“We owe it to this generation to be able to eradicate this once and for all.”
