The funeral: Royal aides believe a song by the Lead story
rock star may set wrong tone, reports Valerie
Elliott
The Princess with Elton John at
Versace's funeral
Friends at odds with Palace on singing part
for Elton John
DIFFERENCES of opinion over the final details
for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales,
have emerged between Buckingham Palace and the
Spencer family, particularly over whether
Elton John should be invited to sing.
Buckingham Palace will decide today whether to
invite the singer to contribute on Saturday. -
There is growing pressure for him to do so
from friends of the Princess. Only last month
the Princess was seen by millions of
television viewers comforting the singer at
the funeral of Gianni Versace, the designer,
who was a friend of both.
wedding . .
The debate over John's appearance has .
underlined the difficulty in melding an
occasion that has the dignity of a traditional
royal event with meeting the public's
expectations. The decision is to be taken
today at the Palace at the daily meeting of
officials chaired by the Lord Chamberlain, the
Earl of Airlie.
But the organisers face a dilemma. A senior
royal source said last night that the funeral
arrangements must meet four clear but
potentially conflicting objectives: dignity
for such a formal occasion; informality to
satisfy public opinion and reflect the
Princess's personality; the views of both:
families; and the maintenance of tradition.
will carry
The involvement of Elton John was discussed by
the committee for the first time yesterday.
There was no outright objection but officials
made clear they were anxious that it might not
set the right tone. Last night they were
taking further soundings from both families.
It was not clear if John might be asked to
sing a traditional hymn or one of his own
compositions.
Earl Spencer is expected to read the lesson at
Westminster Abbey. Discussions were continuing
with Martin Neary, the Westminster Abbey
organist and master of choristers, over the
musical content. The choir, children and
adults, will have a central role.
A friend of the Princess pressing for the
inclusion of a more modern element said: "At
the moment it will be a pretty formal affair.
There are some people who feel it ought to be
presented in a slightly different way. In
other words, we want to incorporate the spirit
of Diana."
The line-up expected at today's meeting will
include Lord Airlie; Sir Robert Fellowes, the
Queen's Private Secretary who is married to
the Princess's elder sister, Lady Jane; Penny
Russell-Smith, deputy press secretary to the
Queen; Mark Bolland, assistant private
secretary to the Prince of Wales; Sandy
Henney, the Prince of Wales's press secretary;
and Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Ross, the
Comptroller responsible for co-ordinating the
arrangements.
Soundings were still being taken last night
about the choice of hymns and prayers with
members of the Royal Family at Balmoral, and
with Lord Spencer, Lady Jane Fellowes, and the
Princess's other sister, Lady Sarah
McCorquodale. Robin Janvrin, the deputy
private secretary to the Queen, and Stephen
Lamport, the Prince of Wales's private
secretary, are staying at Balmoral this week
and liaising with officials in London. Lord
Spencer has been to see Lord Airlie about the
arrangements.
Another close confidant of the Princess said:
"I hope that the organisers are listening to
Lady Sarah because she really was the closest
to Diana. They were always so happy together
and she would know exactly what Diana would
want."
A spokesman for Elton John confirmed that the
singer would be attending the funeral but said
they had received no formal approach from the
Palace or the Spencer family about the
possibility of him singing.
Details of the family burial at the Church of
St Mary the Virgin in Great Brington,
Northamptonshire, were being closely guarded.
The first invitations to the funeral service
were made by telephone yesterday. Among the
guests will be four former Prime Ministers:
Sir Edward Heath, Lord Callaghan of Cardiff,
Baroness Thatcher and John Major. It was
unclear whether Mohamed Al Fayed, the owner of
Harrods, whose son Dodi was killed in the
crash, will attend.
Lord Attenborough, the film director, who was
instrumental in encouraging the Princess to
head the anti-landmines crusade; Lord Deedes,
former Editor of The Daily Telegraph, who has
accompanied the Princess on anti-landmines
trips overseas are also likely to be invited.
Wayne Sleep, the dancer, and friends such as
Sir David Frost, the televison interviewer,
and Clive James, the broadcaster, are also
believed to be included. It is understood that
the Princess's Christmas card list was used to
select members of the congregation.
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