PRINCESS Diana's distraught sons have been handed a poignant musical memory of their mother by workers at an East Lancashire factory.

Two copies of a rare tribute single recorded by the singer Chris DeBurgh have been presented to Princes William and Harry by the PolyGram manufacturing and distribution centre in Whitebirk, Blackburn.

Only 50 copies of A New Star Up In Heaven Tonight were pressed after Diana's Westminster Abbey funeral service.

Two were given to her sons, and staff at the Blackburn factory were today awaiting news of a charity auction of the remaining copies.

Proceeds will go towards the Diana, Princess Of Wales, Memorial Fund.

PolyGram sales and marketing manager Dave Wilson said Chris DeBurgh wanted to sing his own special tribute to Diana after the funeral - but did not want to steal the limelight from Elton John's Candle In The Wind.

Candle In The Wind, also produced by PolyGram, went on to become the biggest selling single ever, with 33 million sales.

He added: "We pressed a limited edition of the CD entitled A New Star Up In Heaven Tonight.

"Two of them were specially packaged for the princes with the remainder being sent for auction.

"As it was never released commercially as a single there are only 50 copies in the world."

Chris DeBurgh also recorded a song for an album of songs in aid of the charity.

And the singer has written to staff in Blackburn to thank them for their efforts. Mr Wilson added: "He wrote to say thank you very much for our efforts in helping him record the tribute to Diana."

Workers played part in Elton's record success: STAFF at a Blackburn CD factory have been thanked for helping the Princess Diana tribute record become the biggest selling single ever.

The Elton John song Candle In The Wind first played at the Princess of Wales' funeral has now sold more than 33million copies worldwide.

And a huge portion of them were produced at the PolyGram plant on Whitebirk Industrial Estate, Blackburn.

A letter to all staff from PolyGram UK Chairman John Kennedy coincided with the first £20million instalment of proceeds from the single being presented by singer Elton John.

Sales and marketing manager Dave Wilson said: "At the end of a bumper year with production in excess of 80 million discs, staff at PolyGram manufacturing and distribution were recently thanked by John Kennedy, Chairman of PolyGram UK.

"They played a great part in the nuts and bolts process of producing the Diana tribute record."

Workers at PolyGram and the neighbouring Philips Components plants workers have also been singled out for praise after buying almost 1,000 copies of the charity record from the factory gate store.

Mr Wilson added: "Not only did workers at PolyGram help make the single, they also put their hands in their pockets to buy copies of it.

"Many of them went along with our special arrangement to sell full price copies of the record."

Sales of Candle In The Wind in Britain alone have topped five million.

And the single took just 37 days to top the 30million sale mark which Bing Crosby's White Christmas is estimated to have sold over a period of 55 years.

PolyGram negotiated a no profit deal for the single so that a maximum amount of money could be raised for the Diana, Princess Of Wales, Memorial Fund.

The Blackburn plant is currently involved in production of the All Saints single and album and the Texas album, which has spent almost 40 weeks in the charts.

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