Did Tina Turner Ever Perform for Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family?
Tina Turner played for many dignitaries throughout a music career that spanned over six decades. Her fans spanned far and wide, including Princess Diana and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. However, did she ever have the chance to perform for Queen Elizabeth and the members of the royal family? Here’s what we know.
Tina Turner once performed for the royal family in the late 1980s
In 1989, Tina Turner was a guest of the royal family and a special guest at the Royal Variety Performance. The event took place at the London Palladium.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the musical and variety show at the time. The event took place in November 1989.
The performers of the historical evening included a mix of actors, entertainers, singers, and musicians. Turner was joined by a who’s who of talent, including Janet Jackson, Chris de Burgh, and Jerry Lewis.
Closing out the show, Turner sang two songs from her 1989 album, Foreign Affair. These included “Steamy Windows,” “I Don’t Wanna Lose You.”
What is the Royal Variety Performance?
The Royal Variety Performance benefits the Royal Variety Charity. The charity was established in 1908, and Queen Elizabeth was its sole patron until her September 2022 death.
King Charles III is the current sole life patron of the charity. The 2023 performance will occur later this year.
The Royal Variety Charity assists those who’ve worked professionally in the entertainment industry. The charity supports all those who have spent their lives working in the numerous support industries dedicated to entertainment.
The charity also provides residential and nursing care for elderly entertainers at its own care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham. It funds grants for performers who also live in thier own homes in the United Kingdom.
In 2018, the cast of ‘Tina: The Musical’ performed for the royal family
In 2018, Adrienne Warren and Tom Godwin from Tina: The Tina Turner Musical performed a short scene of the musical for the Royal Variety Performance. The excerpt was during a point in Tina Turner’s career when she worked with legendary producer Phil Spector for the recording of “his masterpiece “River Deep, Mountain High.”
In her autobiography I Tina, Turner discussed the legendary session that elevated her talents sky-high. She told her story to writer Kurt Loder.
“I loved that song,” she said. Because for the first time in my life, it wasn’t just R and B. It had structure. It had a melody.”
Turner shared why “River Deep, Mountain High” became such a watershed moment for her as an artist. “You see, Ike would always have me screaming and shouting on his songs, selling them. Because there really wasn’t much to them. I’d always have to improvise and ad-lib.”
“[Phil] just wanted me to sing the song. It was my voice he liked, not the screaming,” Turner confessed.
Royals in attendance at that performance were Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle. Queen Elizabeth was not in attendance. Her last appearance at this fundraising event took place in 2012.
