Funeral Details Released Royal Family Not To Speak; Princes May Walk In Procession; Tabloid Editors Not Welcome

Princess Diana’s immediate family will take the leading role at her funeral service on Saturday, and Elton John will sing, but no member of the royal family will speak, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday.

A palace spokesman said the Spencers, Diana’s family, had not asked any of the royals to participate actively, nor had the royal family asked to be involved.

Such a royal role would not be unprecedented, for Prince Charles spoke at the funeral of his great-uncle and closest mentor, Lord Mountbatten, in 1979 after Mountbatten was assassinated by the Irish Republican Army.

Buckingham Palace released a 13-page order of service for the funeral in Westminster Abbey, and asked newspapers around the world to publish it so people watching at home could follow the service more easily. The document also has been posted on the royal Web site.

The palace announced that 1,900 people have been invited to the funeral, to be held at 3 a.m. PDT on Saturday. Among those attending will be first lady Hillary Clinton, French first lady Bernadette Chirac and Mohamed al Fayed and his wife, parents of Diana’s friend Dodi Fayed, who was killed with her in a Paris auto crash last Sunday.

Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, angry over the fact tabloid newspapers pursued Diana throughout her royal life, told editors of those newspapers they would not be welcome at the funeral, and they agreed not to come. He said editors of serious newspapers would be welcome.

The Anglican service is not interdenominational, but Cardinal Basil Hume has been invited from the Roman Catholic Church, along with the moderator of the Church of Scotland, the director of the Islamic Cultural Center in London and the chief rabbi of Britain, Dr. Jonathan Sacks.

Sacks has sent his regrets because he will be leading services on the Jewish Sabbath, but members of the Jewish community will come out of their synagogue near Marble Arch to pay their respects when the procession passes.

Officials said 110 charities of which Diana was patron, before giving up many of them after her divorce last year, have been invited to send five representatives each to walk in the funeral procession.

Penny Russell-Smith, deputy press secretary at the palace, said it was not yet known if Prince Charles and his sons, Princes William and Harry, will walk in the procession.

William, 15, is reported to have expressed a determination to do so, but Russell-Smith said the funeral would be “an ordeal” for the boys.

Because the funeral is not a state occasion, but “a unique funeral for a unique person” in the palace’s words, there will be no trumpets, drums or fanfares in the abbey, and no heads of state except Queen Elizabeth II will be present.

Palace officials said they have asked television networks, at the request of the Spencer family, not to photograph members of the Spencer and royal families while they are seated in the abbey or during a one-minute silence immediately after the funeral.

Although the reason for this request was not stated, it appeared to be designed to make sure the public does not intrude on any expressions of grief by William and Harry, 12.

At the conclusion of the one-hour service, a performance of Camille Saint-Saens’ “Maestoso,” from his Symphony No. 3, will be played at the request of Diana’s mother, Frances Shand-Kydd.

The minute of silence that will follow the funeral will be broken by the ringing of the abbey bells.

MEMO: These sidebars appeared with the story: LOCAL SERVICE St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 57th and Perry, will hold a memorial service at 4 p.m. today to honor Princess Diana. Mourners will have the opportunity to donate to one or more of the 16 causes and charities that Princess Diana championed before her death.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FUNERAL PLANS Highlights of plans for Princess Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Saturday:

The opening - As the cortege enters the church, the abbey choir will sing: “I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord” and other verses from Scripture.

The bidding prayer - The dean, the Very Rev. Wesley Carr, will tell the congregation: “In her life, Diana profoundly influenced this nation and the world. Although a princess, she was someone for whom, from afar, we dared to feel affection, and by whom we were all intrigued. She kept company with kings and queens, with princes and presidents, but we especially remember her humane concerns and how she met individuals and made them feel significant. In her death she commands the sympathy of millions.”

The traditional - The BBC Singers, with soprano Lynne Dawson, sing “Deliver Me, O Lord, From Eternal Death,” from Verdi’s “Requiem.”

The popular - Elton John sings his 1973 hit, “Candle in the Wind.” Inspired originally by the death of Marilyn Monroe, the song has been revised by John and lyricist Bernie Taupin to begin: “Goodbye England’s rose.”

The sacred - Prime Minister Tony Blair will read from First Corinthians 13: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” Hymns are “I Vow to Thee, My Country,” “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” and “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer.”

The personal - Prayers will be said for Diana’s companion, Dodi Fayed, who was killed with her in a car crash in Paris on Sunday, for their driver Henri Paul, who also died, and for bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who was seriously injured.

The family - Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 41, and Lady Jane Fellowes, 40, will read poetry. Their brother Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer, will deliver a tribute.

The finish - The congregation will remain standing as the cortege leaves and the choir sings “Alleluia. May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” to music by John Tavener, after which silence falls for a moment, broken by the ringing of the abbey’s bells, half-muffled.