Idris Elba reveals his DJ set at Meghan and Harry's wedding was 'a lot of pressure'

The actor and DJ played at their wedding reception in 2018

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(Image credit: Getty)

Idris Elba has revealed just how overwhelming his DJ gig at The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding was.


It was the wedding of the year, and celebrities such as George Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, and Serena Williams attended Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding at St George's Chapel.

And while the couple, who just celebrated their three-year anniversary, had a very public ceremony, the reception, at Frogmore House, was a private affair with just 200 guests. It was said to include a dinner, speeches by royals, and even beer pong. While one highlight was DJ and actor Idris Elba playing a set on the night.

However, Idris has now revealed how much pressure he felt to get it right for his 'friends'. "This wasn’t at the community hall—the reception. This was a big, big deal," he told the Mirror.

And while we already knew that the couple requested power ballads at their wedding, such as Whitney Houston's song I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the actor admitted that the Duchess had pre-planned the whole playlist.

"Meghan had sent me a playlist, so I knew what she wanted already," the Wire star said, adding, "They’re good friends and I wanted to make sure they had a great time, so there was a lot of pressure."

Meghan and Harry recently also discussed, on their podcast, Archewell Audio, the significance of the song which was playing as they left the chapel on their wedding day. In the first episode of their podcast, Meghan and Harry revealed that Etta James' version of This Little Light of Mine was an important part of their big day. 

Harry noted that they chose the track as a reminder of "the power we each have within us to make this world a better place", while Meghan added, "it was the music that we wanted playing when we started our lives together."

Meghan also cited Martin Luther King's memorable words, "as we all know, 'darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.'" As for their first dance at their wedding reception, the couple chose Wilson Pickett's I'm In Love.

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.