Sir Elton John has opened up about the Queen's playful side in his new autobiography, Me. The iconic singer revealed a brilliant anecdote about Her Majesty where she jokily disciplined her nephew, Viscount Linley, during an event. He wrote that the monarch told her nephew to go and check on his mother, Princess Margaret, who had been taken ill. "I know the Queen’s public image isn’t exactly one of wild frivolity," he wrote. "But… in private, she could be hilarious. I saw her approach Viscount Linley and ask him to look in on her sister, who’d been taken ill and had retired to her room. When he repeatedly tried to fob her off, the Queen lightly slapped him across the face, saying, 'Don’t' – SLAP – 'argue' – SLAP – 'with' – SLAP – 'me' – SLAP – 'I' – SLAP – 'am' – SLAP – 'THE QUEEN!' As he left, she saw me staring at her, gave me a wink and walked off."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Queen enjoyed a joke with her nephew (right)
In the autobiography, the I'm Still Standing singer also revealed that he once watched Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere argue over Princess Diana during a dinner party, writing: "I couldn’t help [but] notice a strange atmosphere in the room. Judging by the kind of looks he kept shooting them, Diana and Richard Gere’s newly blossoming friendship was not going down well with Sylvester Stallone at all. I think he may have turned up to the party with the express intention of picking Diana up, only to find his plans for the evening ruined."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesElton opened up about the Queen's sense of humour
Elton is a close friend of the royal family, and often spends time with Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle. He recently came to the pair's defence after the couple faced criticism for their choice of transport, and posted a statement Twitter revealing that he felt "deeply distressed" by the backlash and revealed that he had provided them with his private aircraft so that they could enjoy some privacy. "I am deeply distressed by today's distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private stay at my home in Nice last week," he wrote. "Prince Harry's mother, Diana Princess of Wales, was one of my dearest friends. I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana's untimely death."
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