Nicki Minaj Holds Moment of Silence for Princess Diana, Calls Her a ‘Dear Friend’

The Queen of Rap shouted out the people’s princess.

Nicki Minaj took her Pink Friday 2 World Tour to Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on Sunday (May 26) when she took a moment to chat with fans in the crowd. In a video circulating social media, the rapper asks a group of fans where they’re from. When they replied that they are from Wales, Minaj began speaking in a British accent.

“It always reminds me of a dear friend of mine,” Minaj noted. “Well, she’s not here anymore, but the Princess of Wales.”

Minaj then urged the crowd to hold a moment of silence for Princess Diana, who tragically died in a car accident in August 1997 at age 36. While the duo weren’t actually friends — the “Super Bass” rapper was just 14 when the English royal passed away — Minaj has made nods to Diana in the past. Most recently, she was featured on Ice Spice’s 2023 track, “Princess Diana,” which features the lyric, “Callin’ my phone, but they know I don’t answer/ In the hood, I’m like Princess Diana.”

Last week, Minaj was released from police custody in the Netherlands just hours after recording herself being arrested by Amsterdam authorities allegedly “carrying drugs.” As a result, the artist was forced to postpone her Manchester concert as part of her Pink Friday 2 Tour to June 3.

“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible,” promoter Live Nation said in a statement on Saturday. “We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”