Elton John Claims Queen Elizabeth Hit Her Nephew in Front of Him

This is some hot royal tea, y’all! In Elton John’s new memoir, Me, the singer wrote about a party where Queen Elizabeth II apparently hit her nephew, Viscount Linley, in front of him. In an excerpt from The Sunday Times, the 72-year-old recalled the incident where he was with Queen Elizabeth II, her sister, Princess Margaret, and Margaret’s son and daughter, Viscount and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, when the 93-year-old asked Viscount to check on his sister since she wasn’t feeling well, and he tried to get out of it. Elton wrote, “The Queen lightly slapped [Viscount] across the face, saying, ‘Don’t’ — slap — ‘argue’ — slap — ‘with’ — slap — ‘me’ — slap — ‘I’ — slap— ‘am’ — slap — ‘THE QUEEN!’”

The “Tiny Dancer” crooner also claimed the Queen knew he saw the heated exchange and apparently winked at him. “I know the Queen’s public image isn’t exactly one of wild frivolity, but … in private, she could be hilarious.”

Elton John Claims Queen Slapped Nephew Front of Him — Shutterstock

Elton also wrote about his relationship with the late Princess Diana. She was “blessed with an incredibly social ease, an ability to make people feel totally comfortable in her company,” he said. “She was fabulous company … a real gossip: You could ask her anything, and she’d tell you.” Unfortunately, Princess Diana died at just 36 years old in August 1997, after she got in a fatal car crash in Paris. The U.K. native — who sang “Candle in the Wind” at her funeral — has remained close with Diana’s two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

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In August, Harry, 35, and his wife, Duchess Meghan (née Markle), 38, were criticized for flying private with their newborn baby, Archie. However, celebrities were quick to defend the royal couple. “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 home in Nice, France, last week,” Elton wrote on August 19. “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.”

He added, “After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David [Furnish] and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home. To maintain a high level of much-needed protection, we provided them with a private jet flight. To support Prince Harry’s commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.”