Prince Harry and Sir Elton John have had an incredibly close friendship for years, but have things turned sour between them?
Recent reports suggest Harry and wife Meghan Markle either snubbed an invite to Elton’s Oscars party earlier this month - or were uninvited.
In his autobiography, Spare, Prince Harry reveals he fell out with Elton while on holiday together in France shortly before he decided to stand down as a senior royal.
And despite several mentions of Elton in the book, he is surprisingly left out of the tributes at the end.
Then there was Elton’s refusal to sing Candle In The Wind on the anniversary of Harry’s mum Princess Diana’s death, which didn’t go down well with the prince.
Here we look back on their friendship so far and what has gone wrong in recent years that could threaten their previously close bond.
'Motherly' figure
Elton was famously close friends with Harry’s mother Princess Diana, who was just 36 when she died in a car crash in 1997.
The singer performed Candle In The Wind at her funeral and has remained close with Diana’s sons ever since.
But in public, especially in recent years, he has appeared to be closer to Harry, holidaying with him and performing at his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
The Rocket Man has been described as Harry and Meghan’s ‘rock’ and an ‘almost motherly figure’ to the pair.
A royal insider told The Mirror : “Elton speaks to Harry and Meghan every day. He’s an inspiration, an almost ‘motherly’ figure. He is a constant support, especially to Meghan, and is very protective of them both.”
Last year, the couple were among the stars who shared a personal message with Elton ahead of his farewell concert.
In the clip, Harry said: “Thank you for being the friend that you were to my mum. Thank you for being our friend, thank you for being a friend to our kids... we love you.”
But despite gushing about each other in public, behind closed doors cracks in their friendship have started to appear.
Oscars party 'snub'
Harry and Meghan were cruelly labelled ‘nobodies’ after they failed to turn up at the Oscars earlier this month – or Elton’s Oscars party.
It is not known for sure whether the couple turned down an invitation or were taken off the guest list.
But one royal expert has claimed the couple were snubbed by Elton and branded them ‘nobodies’.
Author Tom Bower, who penned the book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between The Windsors, said: “They weren’t even invited to Elton John’s party at the Oscars. They really are nobodies in Hollywood.”
However, an expert suggested the no show was a bid to avoid any more negative press for the couple and so they wouldn’t face the wrath of the comedic hosts.
PR Consultant Carla Speight told The Express : “Their documentary wasn't nominated. Meghan's not currently acting and I don't think Harry has any plans to either, though stranger things have happened with them recently.
"If they showed up to the Oscars, it would raise many questions as to why and ultimately it wouldn’t be a good look for them as it makes no sense."
Holiday fallout
In his autobiography, Harry dropped the bombshell he fell out with Elton while he and Meghan were staying at his house in France in 2019.
The Duke shared details of a clash they had on the last night on their holiday just before he announced he was stepping down as a senior royal.
Harry said he was congratulating Elton on finishing his memoir, Me, but the atmosphere soured when the Tiny Dancer singer revealed it was going to be serialised in the Daily Mail.
In Spare, Harry writes: "He saw my face. He quickly looked away. 'Elton, how in the absolute...?"
The Duke asked Elton why he had chosen the newspaper which had "made your life miserable", to which he replied that he wanted people to read it.
Harry said he reminded him of "specific lies" that had been printed in the newspaper, but realised Elton had accepted "a cheque for a hundred thousand pounds".
Diana song refusal
Elsewhere in the book, Harry reveals he asked Elton to sing Candle In The Wind for the anniversary of his mother's death.
But the Grammy Award winner refused, claiming it would be too "macabre" to celebrate Diana's life and achievements.
Elton rewrote a version of the song for Diana’s funeral, using the lyrics "goodbye England's rose", in September 1997.
The song was originally written in 1973 by Sir Elton and Bernie Taupin in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
Left out of book tribute
Being a prince in the spotlight, it’s no surprise Harry has lots of celebrity friends, besides Elton.
But despite Elton being a constant in his life – and being mentioned several times in Harry’s new book – he doesn’t get a mention in the tributes at the end.
Instead Harry pays tribute to the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin and comedian James Corden getting a 'thank you' at the back of Spare. So does this mean all is not well?
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