CLARENCE HOUSE
LONDON SW1A 1BA
Tuesday 12th December 2006
PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCE HARRY ANNOUNCE MEMORIAL SERVICE AND CONCERT TO COMMEMORATE AND CELEBRATE THEIR MOTHER'S LIFE
Princes William and Harry today announced two major events which will take place next year to commemorate and celebrate the life of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Memorial Service
A Memorial Service will be held in London on 31st August 2007. Prince William and Prince Harry have invited members of The Royal Family including Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer, all of whom will attend.
Friends of the late Princess, and representatives from her charities and other organisations with which she was associated will also be invited.
Concert for Diana
On 1st July 2007, The Princess's birthday, Prince William and Prince Harry will attend a celebration concert at Wembley Stadium.
The event, called Concert for Diana, will feature some of their mother's and some of their own favourite artists. All of the artists are being invited to perform by Princes William and Harry. Already lined up for the concert are Elton John, Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, Pharrell Williams, The English National Ballet, Joss Stone and Andrew Lloyd Webber, who will stage a medley of songs from some of his greatest West End shows. A number of other major acts will be announced in due course.
The Princes are organising the concert and chairing an Advisory Board made up of leading figures from the worlds of media, entertainment and leisure.
Announcing his and his brother's plans for a commemoration of their mother's life, Prince William said today:
We both wanted to put our stamp on it. We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted. So therefore the church service alone isn't enough. We wanted to have this big concert full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted. And on her birthday as well, it's got to be the best birthday present she ever had.
On the memorial service, Prince Harry said:
The service is going to include both sides of the family, our mother's side and our father's side - everyone getting together. It should be a good occasion.
Proceeds from the concert will go to a number of charities that were supported by The Princess during her life, and to two of the Princes' own charities, Centrepoint and Sentebale. The Princess's charities which will benefit are The Diana Memorial Fund, which was set up in her memory, and five charities of which she was Patron at the time of her death: The Royal Marsden Hospital, The National Aids Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Leprosy Mission, and The English National Ballet.
Tickets, priced £45 and with no booking fee, will be made available from 9am tomorrow (Wednesday 13th December 2006) via the website www.concertfordiana.com or from Ticketmaster on 0844 725 0107.
