Funeral rebuff for the tabloid editors
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Your support makes all the difference.Earl Spencer, the Princess of Wales's brother, has taken his revenge on the tabloid newspapers he blamed for his sister's death by barring their editors from Saturday's funeral.
The editors of the tabloid press were originally invited along with the editors of broadsheet newspapers by the Lord Chancellor's office. Once he learnt of the invitations, Lord Spencer called the tabloid editors personally to tell them they were no longer welcome.
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the withdrawn invites but passed inquiries on to Earl Spencer's home at Althorp, saying that he was in control of who attends.
In a prepared statement, a spokeswoman for Lord Spencer said: "Lord Spencer has personally asked the tabloid editors not to come, because he and his sisters, particularly Diana, would not have wished them to be there. They have kindly agreed to the request, although broadsheet and regional papers are welcome."
Immediately he heard of his sister's death, Earl Spencer accused every editor who had bought paparazzi pictures of his sister of having "blood on their hands". He himself has had a long-running battle with the tabloids over their intrusion into his privacy and moved to South Africa to escape their attention.
He was especially angered when one newspaper printed photographs taken with a long lens of his then wife when she was being treated for an eating disorder in a private clinic.
Stuart Higgins, editor of the Sun, said yesterday that he had been surprised and honoured to have been invited to the funeral, but was happy to respect the Earl's wishes that he not attend as a "matter of respect" to the Princess.
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