Clergyman appealed to Buckingham Palace to allow Elton John to sing at Diana’s funeral

Diana and her lover, Dodi Fayed – son of Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed – died in a car crash in Paris on August 31 1997, prompting a huge outpouring of public grief

Elton John performing a rewritten version of his song Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. File Picture: PA

The Dean of Westminster personally appealed to Buckingham Palace to allow Elton John to deliver his famous rendition of Candle In The Wind at the funeral of Princess Diana, according to newly released UK government files.

The singer’s emotional performance of a reworked version of his hit song was one of the most memorable moments of the service at Westminster Abbey and the single went on to sell 33 million copies around the world.