Sir Elton John, the artist who became synonymous with the mass outpouring of grief that followed the death of Princess Diana, will also be at the heart of a memorial concert to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her death next year.
The eclectic line-up for the charity concert, to be held at Wembley stadium on July 1, has been put together by princes William and Harry and contains some of their mother's favourite acts, including Duran Duran and Bryan Ferry.
"We both wanted to put our stamp on it. We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted. So therefore the church service alone isn't enough," said Prince William yesterday. "We wanted to have this big concert full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted." The concert will be one of the first at the rebuilt Wembley and is to be held on the date that would have been her 46th birthday.
Clarence House said yesterday it would complement a memorial service to be held on August 31, the anniversary of her death, which will be attended by both sides of her family. The guest list will include the Queen, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, as well as Diana's siblings Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer.
The bill for the concert will also feature segments from the English National Ballet and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who will stage a medley of songs from his West End shows. The princes, who said more names would be announced at a later date, have also included their own favourite acts including Joss Stone and Pharrell Williams.
Sir Elton, who also played at the 2002 concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee, said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be performing at this great event. Diana was a personal friend and someone I greatly admired for her tireless and enthusiastic work for charity."