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Outraged Brits have called for the royal "snub" of Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral to be remedied.
But in spite of suggestions on British news websites that a member of the royal family should attend the state funeral tomorrow it does not seem likely this will happen.
Officials in Britain and New Zealand insist it is not an insult that Buckingham Palace has decided not to send a member of the royal family to the funeral.
Governor-General Anand Satyanand will represent the Queen, and the Hillary family has been offered the rare honour of a memorial service at Windsor Castle in April.
Sir Edmund Hillary was one of only 24 Knights of the Garter appointed by the Queen, and his success as the first man to scale Mt Everest was proclaimed on the morning of Her Majesty's coronation in 1953.
The Everest expedition was a British one, and Hillary's success was claimed as a huge triumph for Britain.
People from around the globe visited www.nzherald.co.nz to express their view.
"Duffer (London, UK)" said the situation was an embarrassment.
"I'm embarrassed that no member of 'our' royal family is going to Sir Edmund's funeral, but not surprised as neither they nor their advisers are in touch with the real world. As with the greatest Kiwi, Ernest Rutherford, Hillary changed the world. He's a hero to all us Brits ... "
But "Wesley Kerr (London)" said the Queen had been a conscientious head of state for New Zealand for 56 years, and the move was partly driven by practicality.
"Elizabeth is Head of State of 15 other countries and cannot really be expected to attend funerals of their eminent men and women at the drop of a hat."
- NZ HERALD STAFF
