Old And New Mix At Concert For Diana
Waving their arms in the air with 70,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, princes William and Harry celebrated the life of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday Sunday at a concert they organized.
William, 25, rocked his hips as Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado belted out her song "Maneater" — to the embarrassment of younger brother Harry, 22, who shook his head and laughed.
After Elton John opened the show with "Your Song," the princes took to the stage to greet the stadium crowd — and 500 million more watching the event live worldwide in 140 countries.
"This evening is about all that my mother loved in life: her music, her charity and her family and friends," William said. Harry added a special message for his army unit, currently serving in Iraq.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to say hi to all the guys in A Squadron of the Household Cavalry, who are serving out in Iraq at the moment.
"I wish I was there with you. I'm sorry I can't be. But to all of those on operations at the moment, we'd both like to say 'Stay safe."'
Harry, a second lieutenant in the regiment, was banned from going to Iraq for security reasons.
The princess died Aug. 31, 1997, along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver when their Mercedes crashed inside the Pont d'Alma tunnel, while media photographers pursued them.
Photos: Concert for Diana
Combs 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."
The old and new merged during Jones' set when he brought Stone on to sing a soulful duet of "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" while Aerosmith's Joe Perry sat in on guitar.
Ex-British prime minister Tony Blair was among those who recorded a video greeting. His message was booed as he appeared on screen, but the crowd cheered when he paid tribute to William and Harry — the second and third in line to the British throne, respectively.
"I know their mother would be very proud of them," Blair said.
Weeks of soggy weather lifted Sunday as the sun peeked out from behind the gray clouds rolling over Wembley Stadium, Britain's biggest.
"Pray for sun!" Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon told the crowd as the band broke into "Sunrise," followed by "Rio," which they dedicated to Diana.
Rod Stewart also joked about the weather at the end of his set, saying "it usually rains when I perform. Well done!"
Prince William and Prince Harry enjoyed the performance surrounded by their friends. According to VH1, the princes had more potential guests than they had complimentary seats, so they put the names of all their potential guests into a hat and drew the names of the lucky ones that would get tickets.
Harry's girlfriend Chelsy Davy was at his side. William was dateless - though his ex, Kate Middleton, was in the crowd and, according to some in the know, maybe back in the picture, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.
William's Clarence House office has declined to comment on media reports that the two are back together.
Tickets for the show were $90, and proceeds benefited the Princess Diana Memorial and Patronage Fund; Centrepoint UK of which Prince William is a royal patron; and Sentebale, a new charity founded by Prince Harry and Lesotho's Prince Seeiso to help vulnerable children in the African country.
During the telecast, short segments called "Diana and Me" were aired in between the performances. Each segment featured different people from photographers to beneficiaries of her charity work, talking about their personal encounters with the princess.
Photos: Backstage With The Princes
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 that involved a Jeep Cherokee slamming into the main terminal and bursting into flames.
Police said they believed Saturday's attack was linked to the car bombs, and Britain raised its terror alert to "critical" — the highest possible level. At least 450 officers were on duty to police the concert.
The show also included a performance of a scene from "Swan Lake" by the English National Ballet in honor of Diana's love of dance and theater. One of the hosts of the VH1 telecast quipped that the classical ballet performance was a first for the music network.
An international group of performers including Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman, Anastacia, and Donny Osmond performed a medley of songs from the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber which the princess adored.
Presenters included actors Kiefer Sutherland, Dennis Hopper, and Sienna Miller; "American Idol" stars Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest; and soccer star David Beckham.
"I think what the princes have acheived here today is truly remarkable and the nation should be so proud of them," said Beckham, who received a huge ovation when he arrived on stage.
The concert ended the way it began, with a performance by Elton John. He was introduced by comedian Ricky Gervais, who had to vamp for several minutes due to an unspecified delay.
When Elton John finally appeared, he sang a medley of his songs that did not include the expected tribute to the princess, "Candle In The Wind," which he played at Diana's funeral in Westminster Abbey. Originally about Marilyn Monroe, its lyrics were reworked in tribute to Diana, and it became a worldwide No. 1 hit in 1997.
Prince Harry had told the BBC in an interview aired Friday that the brothers had asked Elton John to play the song. But, the singer stuck to a vow he made after Diana's funeral to never perform the song again.
After John's performance, the princes appeared on stage to thank the artists and the crowd.
"For us, this has been the most perfect way of remembering her. And this is how she would have wanted to be remembered," said Prince William.
The evening ended with a short montage of home movies of the princess as a young girl.
Diana is remembered for her glamour, for her extensive charity work — and for her tempestuous marriage to Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. The pair married in 1981 in a ceremony watched by millions around the world, but divorced in 1996 after admissions of adultery on both sides.
William said the concert was a chance for people to "remember all the good things about her because she's not here to defend herself when she gets criticized."
"After 10 years, there's been a rumbling of people bringing up the bad, and over time people seem to forget — or have forgotten — all the amazing things she did and what an amazing person she was," William said in a British Broadcasting Corp. interview, which was recorded earlier this month and broadcast Friday.
A memorial service is also planned in London on Aug. 31, the anniversary of Diana's death.