Adam Sherwin, Media Correspondent
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The Prince of Wales may be younger than some of the star performers, but he is too old to attend this summer’s tribute pop concert to Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall will stay away from the Wembley Stadium Concert for Diana, which marks the tenth anniversary of her death, a Clarence House spokesman said yesterday.
The lineup reflects the musical tastes of the Princess and princes William and Harry. Lily Allen, Kanye West, Rod Stewart and James Morrison were added yesterday to the list for July 1.
The Prince’s spokesman said: “The concert is really for the younger generation to enjoy. William and Harry are organising the guest list.
“There will be a memorial service for Diana on August 31, which will be an event for all generations of the Windsors to come together.”
Prince William, 24, said: “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.”
The Prince of Wales and his wife will attend the memorial service at the Guards Chapel at Wellington Barracks, Central London. They are believed to be planning a royal tour to coincide with the pop concert.
At 58 the Prince has a few years on the rock aristocracy chosen to headline the gig, which takes place on what would have been the Princess’s 46th birthday.
Sir Elton John, 60, is expected to perform his Candle in the Wind tribute. Rod Stewart is 62, one year older than Bryan Ferry. The organisers also announced yesterday an appearance by Status Quo, the veteran rockers cited as the Prince’s favourite band when they played at Live Aid in 1985.
Prince Harry will seek a leave of absence from his army duties, Clarence House said. The two princes plan to pay tribute to their mother from the stage at Wembley.
Geoffrey Matthews, who works for the princes and is in charge of the Concert for Diana, denied that star names had pulled out in order to appear at the Live Earth environmental concerts the following week.
Madonna and Genesis have opted to perform at the climate change event, also at Wembley, but Mr Matthews said negotiations were continuing with several more big names who wanted to pay tribute to the Princess.
A further 10,000 tickets go on sale at 9am today for the concert, which will feature the English National Ballet and a medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest hits.
The first batch sold out within 17 minutes and the organisers are hoping to fill Wembley with 62,000 fans. The concert will be shown live on BBC One and beamed to 140 countries.
Mr Matthews said: “Prince William and Prince Harry have asked me to say how incredibly grateful they are to the people who bought tickets and the artists who so kindly are going to perform, and the broadcasters who have shown such an interest in their celebrations of their mother.”
Proceeds from the concert will go to charities supported by the Princess, including the National Aids Trust, the Leprosy Mission and the English National Ballet. Funds will also go to Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity suppported by Prince William, and a charity set up by Prince Harry in Lesotho to help children orphaned as a result of Aids.
The Diana concert will run for five hours and be split into three parts. Stage and screen celebrities will introduce the performers and video clips of the Princess. The concert will be relayed across Britain through the BBC’s network of outdoor giant screens.
Tickets: 0844 7250107; www.concertfordiana.com/tickets ; orwww.ticketmaster.co.uk
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