Although Jackson stated that he couldn’t add “Dirty Diana” back into the set list for that night’s performance at Wembley and that he didn’t play it (despite Princess Diana’s pleas that he should), the reality may be different. Although the subject is still up for controversy, audio and video evidence seem to indicate that he may have indeed played “Dirty Diana.”

The influence of the multi-talented Michael Jackson is still felt through his music sixteen years after his untimely death. We still examine Jackson’s range of songs that are still relevant today, even after he passed away more than ten and a half years ago, and how his first major professional dispute still changed music videos forever. It’s still shocking to hear that the King of Pop’s second-best-selling album of all time, 1987’s Bad, nearly lost the 1988 Grammy Awards due to the iconic nature of his singing, songwriting, production, and dancing. But this wasn’t the only noteworthy occasion that eventually surfaced in relation to the release and response of Bad.

One of the most significant sites of Jackson’s 1988 Bad World Tour was the renowned Wembley Stadium in London, England, on July 16th. For one very specific reason, Jackson decided not to include his hugely popular Bad hit “Dirty Diana” in the concert set list this evening.

With its extremely explicit lyrics centered on the idea of groupies that attend concerts and musicians’ events, “Dirty Diana” was a huge hit for Jackson at the time. The song “Dirty Diana” reached number one on the US charts (and charted internationally) and had a strong rock sound that was reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s song “Beat It” from his 1982 LP Thriller.

Because of his admiration for the British princess, Jackson decided to take “Dirty Diana” off the stage when he found out that she and her then-husband Prince Charles would be attending the 1988 performance at Wembley that night. Diana’s reaction to Jackson’s decision, however, was unexpected when the King of Pop met her prior to the performance.

Prior to her passing in 1997, Jackson and Princess Diana had a long friendship that was mostly conducted over the phone. However, they only met in person at this Wembley Stadium performance. Before the show, Diana apparently played some of Jackson’s songs repeatedly, demonstrating her admiration for his work. For the Princess of Wales, who was regarded as a huge fan of popular music, this wasn’t unusual. She reportedly formed strong relations with musicians such as George Michael, Elton John, and Freddie Mercury during her lifetime.

In an interview with journalist Barbara Walters years later, the singer claimed that when Princess Diana and Jackson eventually met in person prior to the huge stadium event, Diana expressly asked Michael whether he would be performing “Dirty Diana” that evening. Jackson retorted that her presence was the reason he had chosen to remove the song from the performance. Diana was totally cool with “Dirty Diana,” telling Jackson that it was actually her favorite song, much to Jackson’s astonishment (and amazement). Jackson stated that he was unable to add “Dirty Diana” back into the setlist that evening because it was too near to showtime, even though Princess Diana was excited about the song and advised him to play it.