The 20 pence came from a child, along with a handwritten note. Interest in the fund is so overwhelming that when Day left her office for two hours one day this week, she returned to find 106 phone messages. Because so few decisions have been made, it is not yet clear where the memorial fund will rank among British charities. The Rolling Stones, Sting and Paul McCartney plan to produce an album in Diana's honor to be released before Christmas, according to an announcement this week by Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airlines and a friend of the princess. Other groups have approached organizers with proposals to raise money for the fund, but there is no structure in place yet to handle those offers.
Organizers say that issue remains wide open.
It is possible that the fund will simply collect the money that is flowing in, redistribute it to existing charities with whom Diana was associated, and shut its doors. Nigel Slater, director of fund-raising and publicity for the Leprosy Fund, said if trustees decide to make donations only from income earned, rather than from the fund's equity, it may be as long as a year before money begins to flow out of the fund. But he stressed that he was only speculating because he is not directly involved in the memorial. At the time of her death, Diana had limited her involvement to six charities. Those charities are likely to benefit from the new fund.