Elton John not only received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, but he performed at multiple royal events and met the monarch a number of times during her 70 years on the throne. On Monday, he took to Instagram to reflect on his history with the queen as the world tuned in to watch her funeral.
“Today I’ll be joining the rest of the world in remembering Her Majesty The Queen,” Elton writes. “My own memories of her are filled with joy and admiration. The Queen honored me with a CBE, a knighthood and the Companion of Honor.”
He adds, “I was lucky enough to perform at three of her Jubilees. They were always joyous and humbling experiences. But it was the moments out of the public eye that I will most fondly remember her for: dancing together to ‘Rock Around the Clock’ at Windsor Castle or experiencing her great wit, warmth and humor first hand.”
“She served with grace and dedication,” he concludes, “and she will be sorely missed.”
He added two photos to his post: One of himself in the ’70s meeting the queen and one of them meeting in more recent times, with fellow musical British knights Tom Jones and Cliff Richard looking on.
Elton danced with the queen to Bill Haley‘s “Rock Around the Clock” at Prince Andrew‘s 21st birthday party in 1981. As Elton hilariously describes in his autobiography, Me, Princess Anne asked Elton to dance with her to Elvis Presley‘s “Hound Dog.” When the DJ segued from that into “Rock Around the Clock,” the queen appeared and asked if she could join them — which she did, still holding her handbag.
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