Brits decry royal "snub" of Hillary's funeral

British Royal watchers say the royal family's decision not to send anyone to Sir Edmund Hillary's state funeral on Tuesday is an "astonishing" snub.

"It's astonishing that no one is going... he [Sir Edmund] played such a significant part in the early official life of the Queen," the UK Daily Mail's royal correspondent Richard Kay said yesterday.

Although the Queen rarely attended funerals, a member of the royal family often went in her place.

Kay, a senior royal correspondent who had a close relationship with the late Princess Diana, said the Prince of Wales attended last year's funeral for the late US president Gerald Ford, who had held office for only two years. Hillary had been a "towering figure" in the Commonwealth for 50 years and "meant an awful lot to Brits".

"I am staggered they are not sending one of the Queen's children if not the Prince of Wales then Prince Edward or the Duke of York. I'm sure they've all met Sir Edmund.

"I quite understand if people in New Zealand feel this is a snub. At best it's a massive oversight; at worst someone has bungled."

Hillary was one of only 24 Knights of the Garter appointed by the Queen, and the conquest of Everest was announced on the morning of the Queen's coronation in 1953.

The royal family's absence has sparked renewed comment in New Zealand and Britain that the monarchy is out of touch with the people.

Some vented their frustration on the Guardian newspaper's website.

"I think it just goes to show how far removed the heads of the royal family are from the people, especially from those of the far off lands of the Commonwealth," one reader said. "They should be ashamed of themselves."

Source & Contd: Stuff.co.nz