In an entry for the Time 100 list in 2018, Elton John shared that he first encountered the “extremely shy and sweet” Prince Harry during a private lunch at Kensington Palace. The two formed a bond over their shared commitment to ending the global AIDS epidemic, a cause to which Harry’s mother made significant early contributions in reducing stigma and raising awareness.
The I’m Still Standing artist commended Harry for his intense dedication to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health issues and acknowledged his role in establishing the Invictus Games. As the founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, John further noted, “Prince Harry has the unique talent to enter a room full of strangers and immediately make everyone feel at ease. Watching him mature, I have seen him tackle these issues with the extraordinary ability to understand and articulate the experiences of those he aims to assist.”
In that same year, John expressed to Vanity Fair that he and Harry “support each other.”
Fast forward to March 2023, in a witness statement for the trial against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), John’s husband, David Furnish, characterized their relationship with Harry as “paternal and protective.”
“Elton and I were close friends with his mother, whom we loved deeply, and after her passing, we strived to provide Harry with safety, security, and a nurturing environment,” Furnish stated. “It has been profoundly distressing for Elton and me that our good intentions were manipulated and that the faith and trust Harry placed in us were exploited and misused by The Mail‘s indifferent activities.”
