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First Lady to Attend Diana Funeral

An unidentified woman prays at Althorp House, the childhood home of Princess Diana. (AP photo)

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) -- Hillary Rodham Clinton will represent the president at the funeral of Princess Diana in recognition of her ``deep personal association'' with her, the White House said today.

White House deputy press secretary Joe Lockhart said Mrs. Clinton also has ``deep respect for her humanitarian work.''

``We believe she will be passing along the American peoples' condolences,'' Lockhart said.

The invitation to the first lady read: ``It is the wish of the Spencer family and of the Royal family that Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton should receive a special invitation because of her close personal association with Diana Princess of Wales.''

Lockhart said Mrs. Clinton will attend the funeral in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, then return to the United States.

He said there will not be an official U.S. state delegation because ``this is not a state funeral.''

He said William Crowe, U.S. ambassador to Great Britain and former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, will be the only other American attending in an official capacity.

Asked to detail the personal relationship between Diana and Mrs. Clinton, he said they had met on several occasions and added: ``There was certainly a confluence of interests between the first lady and the late Princess Diana, particularly if you look at some of the charity work she did on breast cancer, children and people with AIDS.''

It was announced on Monday that President Clinton would not attend because of the unofficial nature of the ceremony.

The officials said the announcement that Clinton would not attend was not made until the British government decided that while the funeral would be ceremonious, it would not be a state event.

During his presidency, Clinton has only once traveled abroad for the funeral of a foreign dignitary. That was in November 1995 after the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

While Gore has represented the United States at the funeral services of international dignitaries, Mrs. Clinton enjoyed the closest relationship with Diana, visiting with her on the princess' trips to Washington.

In a condolence letter released Monday, the president wrote British Prime Minister Tony Blair: ``We fondly recall her last visit to the White House in June when she met with Hillary. The British people, indeed all of us, have lost a friend and a strong voice for those less fortunate.''

Lockhart said the other condolence letters, which were sent by diplomatic cable to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Diana's family, would remain private.