British singer Boy George has heaped praise on the tragic royal Diana, Princess Of Wales for brushing off officials who wouldn't let him get close to her.

At the height of his popularity in the 1980s, the pop star had a fan in the British royal, but due to his flamboyant persona, Buckingham Palace officials weren't keen on the idea of the two coming face to face in the public eye.

Boy George recalled his encounter with the princess on U.S. talk show Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday (23Apr14) and said, "I was asked to go into a line-up by her and then when I got into the line-up, somebody from the palace came up to me and said, 'You're not on the list - move.'

"So I was kind of embarrassed because I thought, 'Oh my God, I've really made a fool out of myself'. But she (Princess Diana) kind of broke protocol and came over and said hi. She was adorable. People took photos, and they were all wrestled to the floor, they (security) took their film out. They (palace officials) didn't want evidence."

And the singer was especially grateful to the princess for taking the time to meet his mum, who greatly admired Diana.

He added, "That night, she met my mother. I said, 'Actually, I'm not really a royalist, but my mum loves you. Princess Diana sent for her and spent, like, 30 minutes talking to her. So I love her. Anyone who's nice to your mum is the best."