Sir Elton John has come out in the defence of Prince Charles and his younger son in the wake of the this month’s revelations that the 17-year-old experimented with drugs. Interviewed by veteran CNN journalist Larry King, the singer-songwriter, who memorably performed Candle In The Wind at Harry’s mother’s funeral in 1997, said that the heir to the throne’s actions were spot on.
“I think his father did exactly the right thing,” said Sir Elton. “I’m not really concerned (about Harry). If you think your kids aren’t going to try drugs sooner or later, you’re living in fantasy land. They’re so available and, you know, it’s common knowledge. It’s good that he did what he did by taking Harry to a treatment centre and saying, ‘If you carry on like this, this is what can happen.’ And Charles will keep a closer eye on him, I’m sure. But it’s part of how we live nowadays.”
The 54-year-old showman is no stranger to the sometimes intrusive British press. “I’ve successfully sued a newspaper, and got a front-page apology, but it took a year and a half of my life to do that and it was very, very uncomfortable. The stories they were printing were upsetting, but I was rich enough and fortunate enough to be wealthy enough to fight them.”
So far, the only royal to have taken a publication to court for libel is Viscount Linley who, in 1990, successfully sued the now-defunct Today newspaper to court, after it claimed that Princess Margaret’s son had thrown beer around a Chelsea pub and behaved so badly that he was barred. The furniture maker won £35,000 in damages, but waived all but £5,000 of the total awarded to him.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
