Prince Harry asked Elton John to sing Candle in the Wind for the anniversary of his mother's death but the musician refused, according to the prince.
Sir Elton chose to perform Your Song instead at the anniversary of Diana's death, claiming Candle in the Wind would be too "macabre", Harry writes in his explosive memoir, Spare.
The singer, who was good friends with Harry's mum, played a re-written version of Candle in the Wind for Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997.
It was originally written in 1973, by Sir Elton and Bernie Taupin in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
The new version was released as a tribute single to Diana, with the global proceeds going to the late princess's charities.
Sir Elton has remained close to Diana's sons since her death, with the singer defending Harry and Meghan against "relentless and untrue assassinations on their characters" in 2019.
It came after criticisms the pair had used private jets, including one provided by Sir Elton to his villa in Nice, despite speaking out on environmental issues.
Sir Elton John revealed he had paid for a flight for them and their son Archie to “maintain a high level of much-needed protection” and offset the carbon omissions.
Meanwhile, Prince Harry has admitted that he feels as though his late mum, Princess Diana, would be sad about his broken relationship with his older brother Prince William.
In a teaser released by Good Morning America, the Duke of Sussex admits the rift with William would leave their late mother devastated because throughout childhood, they were inseparable.
In recent years, rumours have been rife that William and Harry have been rowing, with their relationship hanging by a thread.
In his book, Prince Harry claimed that his older brother physically attacked him while he was at home in his cottage after the pair got into an argument about Harry's wife, Meghan.
Harry says William had called Meghan "difficult", "rude" and "abrasive". In response the Duke of Sussex apparently told his older brother he was "parroting the press narrative".
The latest trailer for Prince Harry' s tell-all ITV interview with Tom Bradby - which will air on ITV on Sunday - sees the the Duke of Sussex insist that there are 'two sides to every story' as he suggests the Royal family have won the battle so far.
Harry is seen talking to the journalist about the "red mist" he noticed in his older brother Prince William following the physical altercation between the two which occurred in his cottage.
It comes as Harry's comments on Taliban fighters were blasted as “ wrong on every level ” by a former Defence Secretary.
The Telegraph, which obtained a Spanish language copy of the memoir from a bookshop in Spain, reports that Harry said he did not think of those he killed as people, but instead as "chess pieces" that had been taken off the board.
"So, my number is 25. It's not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me," he wrote.
John Hutton, who was Defence Secretary under Gordon Brown and later chaired defence think tank RUSI, branded it a “very serious mistake”.
The Labour peer told LBC News: “It's absolutely not the right thing for anyone to be saying, and I'm sure he now bitterly regrets saying that.
“I think it diminishes him, and I think it's not what we expect from someone who has held the positions of authority and responsibility that he has previously occupied.
“I think it's a very serious mistake on his part.”
