King Charles pays tribute to Tina Turner via Welsh Guards’ ‘The Best’ performance

The legendary singer died on Wednesday

Kate Ng
Sunday 28 May 2023 18:42 BST
Comments
Legendary singer Tina Turner dies aged 83

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

King Charles III has honoured the late Tina Turner through a show-stopping performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards.

The legendary singer died on Wednesday (24 May) at the age of 83 after a long illness.

On Friday (26 May), the King gave the Welsh Guards permission to perform her 1989 song “The Best” during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

A clip shared by Forces News via Twitter showed the group, who were joined by the First Battalion Welsh Guards Corps of Drums, playing the tune in the sun to delighted onlookers.

The King and Turner first met in 1986, when she put on a show at the Prince’s Trust All-Star Rock Concert at Wembley Stadium.

Follow The Independent’s live blog for updates.

The song played by the Welsh Guards was close to the Prince of Wales’s heart, as it reminds him of his mother, the late Princess Diana.

In December 2021, Prince William opened up about what the singer’s music meant to him during an episode of Apple audio experience Time to Walk.

He said Diana would play “The Best” for him and Prince Harry in the car when driving them to school.

“One of the songs I massively remember and has stuck with me all this time, and I still, to this day, still quite enjoy secretly, is Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ because sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment,” the prince recalled.

“And my mother, she’d be driving along, singing at the top of her voice. When I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides and brings back lots of memories of my mother.”

The statement shared by the “What’s Love Got To Do With It” singer’s representative said: “With her, the world loses a music legend and a role model… With her music and her inexhaustible vitality, Tina Turner thrilled millions of fans and inspired many artists of subsequent generations.”

It has been confirmed that Tina died of natural causes. She was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and received a kidney transplant, donated by her husband Erwin Bach, in 2017.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in