Hillary Clinton Will Attend Princess Diana's Funeral

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Sep. 2) -- First Lady Hillary Clinton will attend Princess Diana's funeral on Saturday in London, the White House announced today.

Deputy Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said the first lady was invited by the royal family as well as the Spencer family. "It is the wish of the Spencer family and of the Royal family that Mrs. Hillary Clinton should receive a special invitation because of her close personal association with Diana Princess of Wales," the invitation to Mrs. Clinton read.

The invitation reflects the Clintons' "personal association with the late Princess Diana" and deep respect for her humanitarian work, Lockhart said.

President Bill Clinton will not attend the service, which is not a state funeral.

Mrs. Clinton and Princess Diana were friends, and she was the obvious choice to represent the U.S. The U.S. ambassador in London, retired Admiral William Crowe, will also attend the memorial service, but no other high-ranking U.S. officials will be there.

The service is set for Saturday at Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace has already said this funeral will be "unique" and will be by invitation only. A spokesman indicated the guest list would include not just public figures, but also private persons whose lives the princess had helped in her charity work.

Mrs. Clinton will leave Martha's Vineyard, where the Clintons are vacationing, on Friday night. She will arrive in London Saturday morning and leave immediately after the service. The president will remain on Martha's Vineyard. He is scheduled to return to Washington Sunday.

Princess Diana died early Sunday in Paris, after her car crashed in a roadway tunnel. Also killed were her companion Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, who French officials say was legally drunk. A group of free-lance photographers was also pursuing the princess' speeding Mercedes at the time of the accident.

On Monday, President Clinton wrote to British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressing his condolences over Princess Diana's death.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer contributed to this report.

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Tuesday Sept. 2, 1997