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CNN Live At Daybreak

Royal Family Attends Princess Margaret's Funeral

Aired February 15, 2002 - 06:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Britain's royal family, along with hundreds of mourners, will attend the funeral today of Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth's only sister.

CNN's Walter Rodgers joins us live from Windsor, England with more on that -- good morning.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. In just under four hours, the British royal family will assemble here at Windsor, Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel for the funeral of Princess Margaret, who died Saturday a week ago. It will be an extraordinarily solemn and private ceremony. Some 450 friends of the late Princess Margaret will be there, but of course, there will be no television cameras allowed inside the St. George's Chapel.

So why St. George's Chapel? Well, for one thing, Princess Margaret's father, the late King George VI, is buried there. It is the interment area of many British kings. King Henry VIII, his favorite wife, Jane Seymour, is buried there. Also, the English king who was beheaded, Charles I, is interred in the St. George's Chapel, and his head was reunited with him after his death.

A short while ago, by the way, Buckingham Palace released the last official photograph of Princess Margaret, her face showing the ravages of two strokes, the disease and suffering under which she had labored for some time. This picture, incidentally, was taken last October shortly after her 77th -- excuse me -- 71st birthday.

One of the few questions remaining, of course, in today's funeral service is the queen mother will be able to attend. She did helicopter out to Windsor last night to stay at the Royal Lodge, but there remains some question about whether she was healthy enough to attend her own daughter's funeral.

Margaret, of course, will be cremated. Her ashes interred beside her father, King George VI -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Walter Rodgers reporting live for us from Windsor this morning -- thank you.

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