Fed: PM to attend Queen Mother's funeral
Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD will attend the funeral of the QUEEN MOTHER in London next week.
Mr HOWARD and his wife JANETTE will head to England for the funeral which will takeplace on April 9.
It's believed to be the first time since 1952, when then prime minister ROBERT MENZIESattended the funeral of KING GEORGE VI, that a PM has attended a royal funeral.
Prime ministers have traditionally attended the funerals of parliamentary and governmentleaders, but left royal funerals to other representatives.
Australia was represented by Foreign Affairs Minister ALEXANDER DOWNER at the funeralof PRINCESS DIANA, while then governor-general BILL HAYDEN attended the service for JapaneseEmperor Hirohito in 1989.
The QUEEN MOTHER attended the opening of federal parliament in 1927 when she was theDuchess of York, and visited Australia on just two other occasions.
Her last visit was in 1966.
AAP RTV sw/jas
KEYWORD: ROYALS MOTHER PM (CANBERRA)
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