Sir David Frost Memorial Attended By Stars

Royalty, television stars and politicians were among those who paid tribute to the broadcaster Sir David Frost at a service at Westminster Abbey.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall joined Sir Michael Parkinson and Simon and Yasmin Le Bon for the memorial service.

Other royal guests included the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of York and his daughter Princess Beatrice.

Charles was joined by Sir David's widow, Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, to lay flowers on a memorial stone dedicated to the broadcaster, who died last August aged 74.

The BBC's director-general Lord Hall and Sir Michael delivered readings.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, said Sir David was "amongst our greatest communicators".

"Surely it was the warmth of his humanity, his interest in people, and what made them tick, that made his 'Hello, good evening and welcome' welcome in the world's living rooms," he said.

Two of Sir David's sons delivered poems during the service and hymns included He Who Would Valiant Be and Jerusalem.

Ronnie Corbett, who worked with Sir David in the 1960s satire boom that launched both their careers, was among those who read prayers during the service.

Other celebrities who paid tribute to Sir David included David Walliams and his wife, model Lara Stone, as well as Julian Fellowes, Terry Wogan, Claudia Winkleman, Sue Lawley, Esther Rantzen, Stephen Fry, Anne Robinson, John Sergeant and Angus Deayton.

Known for his incisive interviews - above all, with disgraced US president Richard Nixon - Sir David spent more than 50 years as a television star.

His award-winning interview style was considered non-aggressive, affable and effusive, but he had a talent for extracting intriguing information and revealing reactions from his subjects.

During his series of five interviews with Nixon in 1977, the slippery former president known as 'Tricky Dicky' dramatically admitted that he had "let down the country".

The encounter later formed the basis of the play Frost/Nixon, which was made into a hit film with Michael Sheen playing Sir David.