KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister Helen Clark will leave New Zealand tomorrow for Europe, where she will attend a memorial service for Sir Edmund Hillary, and have lunch with the Queen.
The PM will also attend a NATO summit on Afghanistan, and a Progressive Governance Conference, to be held in London hosted by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
The memorial service for Sir Ed will be held at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family will be at the service, along with members of Sir Edmund's family, invited guests and members of the public.
"St George's Chapel is almost 500 years old and is the resting place of ten former sovereigns. The Queen's offer of the Chapel for the Service of Thanksgiving is of special significance and reflects her association with Sir Edmund since the beginning of her reign," Helen Clark said.
The Hillary family would have a private audience with the Queen after the service, and then the PM and her husband Peter Davis would have a private lunch with the sovereign at Windsor Castle.
The NATO meeting on Afghanistan will be held in Bucharest on April 3.
The Prime Minister said the meeting would consider a strategy for future international support for Afghanistan, including the need for increased co-ordination among key partners in the troubled country.
- NZPA
