LONDON — Before 70,000 fans in attendance at London’s Wembley Stadium, and a worldwide television audience in the millions, princes William and Harry Sunday staged a moving tribute to their mother, Princess Diana, with some of pop music’s reigning royalty.
The date, July 1, would have been Princess Diana’s 46th birthday, 10 years after her tragic death, but the day marked a reason for celebration at . William, 25, was seen rocking his hips as Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado belted out her song “Man Eater” — to the embarrassment of younger brother Harry, who shook his head and laughed.
Harry, 22, said they asked Elton John to play “Candle in the Wind,” the song he sang at Diana’s 1997 funeral in Westminster Abbey. Originally about Marilyn Monroe, its lyrics were reworked in tribute to Diana and it became a worldwide No. 1 hit that same year. . .
“This evening is about all that my mother loved in life: her music, her dance, her charities and her family and friends,” William told the crowd, thanking them and millions more who watched the show on television.
Diana died Aug. 31, 1997, along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver when their Mercedes crashed inside the Pont d’Alma tunnel in Paris with media photographers in hot pursuit.
Security for the event was increased after the discovery of two unexploded car bombs in central London on Friday and an attack on Glasgow airport on Saturday where a sports utility vehicle slammed into the main terminal and burst into flames. At least 450 officers patrolled the concert.
The concert mixed rock, pop, hip hop and classical ballet and featured some of Diana’s favorite acts including Duran Duran and Tom Jones. In honor of her love of dance and theater, there was a performance of an extract from “Swan Lake” by the English National Ballet and songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Among the 24 performances were songs by Rod Stewart, Kanye West, Joss Stone, Lily Allen and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who performed an emotive rendition of “Missing You” — a cover of The Police’s 1983 “Every Breath You Take.”
“Ten years ago Princess Diana, she went to a better place, and today we celebrate her rebirth,” Combs said. “I love you Diana, we miss you.”
