DJ Set at Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Wedding

  • Idris Elba appeared on Friday’s episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” 
  • Elba spoke about performing a DJ set at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding reception. 
  • He previously said he believed it was a joke when Prince Harry asked him to perform.

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Idris Elba recalled performing a DJ set at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding reception, calling it his “most stressful” gig. 

Elba, 49, appeared on Friday’s episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” where he spoke about his love of acting and performing as a DJ. Elba, whose stage name is Big Driis the Londoner, performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2019. 

Fallon noted that Elba has also performed for celebrities like Madonna and collaborated with Paul McCartney for a remix. However, working at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent Elba’s nerves into a tizzy, according to the actor.

“This wasn’t like my cousin’s wedding,” Elba said. “This wasn’t at the community hall — the reception. This was, like a big, big deal.”

Elba continued that he felt “a lot of pressure” because he’s close friends with the royal couple and wanted them to have a good time.

“The Suicide Squad” actor added that Markle sent him a playlist so he “knew what she wanted already.” 

Prince Harry and Markle were married in May 2018 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The couple has since left the UK and settled in California, where they welcomed their son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, and daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. 

Idris Elba

Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba at the royal wedding in 2018.


Gareth Fuller – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Elba attended the star-studded wedding with his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba. 

Elba has remained relatively mum about the event, but in 2019 he told BBC Radio 1Xtra that Markle requested “some West Coast on [the set list], that’s all I’m saying.” He also revealed that at one point, he played Whitney Houston’s 1987 song, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).” 

During a 2019 appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Elba said that he initially believed it was a joke when Prince Harry asked him to perform. 

He later defended the couple against criticism following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March.