Nicki Minaj Leads 'Moment of Silence' for Princess Diana During UK Show: 'A Dear Friend of Mine'

The moment may have been a partial nod to Ice Spice’s song ‘Princess Diana,’ which features the Queen of Rap

Nicki Minaj; Princess Diana. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty; Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

The Queen of Rap is paying tribute to Princess Diana.

During her Sunday, May 26 Pink Friday 2 Tour stop in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Nicki Minaj, 41, led a seemingly impromptu moment of silence for the late Princess of Wales, who died in 1997.

In between songs, Minaj interacted with fans at Resorts World Arena, giving them her microphone to learn where they are from, a fan-captured clip of the concert shows.

After a fan told her they were from Wales, the rapper repeated, “Wales,” and switched over to a British accent.

“It always reminds me of a dear friend of mine,” she continued, still speaking in the accent. “Well, she’s not here anymore, but the Princess of Wales.”

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Nicki Minaj performing in California in March 2024.Kevin Mazur/WireImage

As the crowd roared in response to the name-drop, the “Superbass” rapper put her hands together — and her head down — and asked fans to hold “a moment of silence for her.”

Following a few-second-long pause, the rapper then resumed her show, with the Barbz in the audience also returning to business as usual.

Though Minaj and Diana are certainly not “dear friends” — the pair never met prior to the princess’s death, at which time Minaj was just 14 years old — the rapper is certainly an admirer.

She was featured on Ice Spice’s popular song named after the late royal, “Princess Diana.” In the track, both artists rap, “When we come out, it look like Princess Diana on the street.”

Elsewhere in the song, Ice Spice references the royal again, rapping, “Callin’ my phone, but they know I don’t answer / In the hood, I’m like Princess Diana,” and Minaj’s verse also includes several references to both London and a “princess.”

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‘Princess Diana’ collaborators Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj.Courtesy of Atlantic Records

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The May 26 show came a day after Minaj was arrested in the Netherlands (an interaction she recorded and shared on social media) on May 25 for allegedly “carrying drugs” while she was on her way to Manchester, England for a concert.

Later that same day, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee fined and released the rapper, the law enforcement officials confirmed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

“We have just released a 41-year-old American woman who we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs,” the statement (translated from Dutch) read. “After consultation with the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect was fined and can continue her journey.”

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