Andrew MacPhersonLionel Richie performed Thursday night in London at a charity event attended by Prince William, and dedicated William’s late mother’s favorite song to the newly minted father of two.
E! reports that at the event Lionel told the crowd, “Many years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Princess Diana and tonight we have Prince William here. I must tell you it is a pleasure to be with all of you but especially this gentleman, because his mother came to me…and she said, ‘My favorite song is ‘Hello.” So I thought, tonight the dedication is to you, my friend.”
Lionel then sang the 1984 #1 hit.
As E! reports, when she was 25, Diana met Lionel at a concert in London. The singer and his then-wife gave the princess leather jackets for Princes William and Harry, who were then four and two. Diana died in a car crash in 1997. The name of William’s new daughter with wife Kate Middleton was partially inspired by Diana: Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge.
The event marked the 25th anniversary of Jewish Care, a charity which helps Holocaust survivors, as well as people struggling with diseases like dementia and Parkinson’s.
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