US President Joe Biden led the eulogies at the funeral of former secretary of state Madeleine Albright on Wednesday at a cathedral service featuring hundreds from the Washington political and diplomatic elite.
Albright, the first woman to head the State Department, died last month, aged 84.
Taking place at Washington's National Cathedral, the pews were packed with current and former US leaders, including former president Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, former president Bill Clinton, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former vice president Al Gore.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and John Kerry, former US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were also in attendance.
“She made sure that young women knew they belonged in every single table having to do with national security, without exception,” Mr Biden said in his address.
“Today, across our government and around the world, Madeleine’s proteges are legion. Many are here today, each carrying with them a spark lit by her passion and her brilliance.”
Also delivering tributes were Mr Clinton, who appointed Albright as secretary of state, Ms Clinton, and Albright's three daughters, Anne, Alice and Katherine.
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Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright speaks during the funeral of Colin Powell at the Washington National Cathedral on November 5, 2021. EPA -
Albright attends the funeral of Colin Powell. EPA -
Three former US secretaries of state: Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell and Albright are pictured with fictional secretary of state Elizabeth McCord, played by Tea Leoni in the TV drama 'Madam Secretary' in 2018. Reuters -
Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, gives Albright a tour of the Guggeinheim Abu Dhabi in 2017. Photo: TCA -
Albright tours the Guggeinheim Abu Dhabi in 2017. Photo: TCA -
Albright takes the stage during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2016. Reuters -
Albright speaks at the Democratic National Convention. Reuters -
Former US secretaries of state Albright, Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton in Washington on September 3, 2014. Reuters -
Albright addresses a news conference at the Nato headquarters in Brussels in 2010. Reuters -
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il meets Albright in Pyongyang in 2000. AP -
Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Albright and former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat meet at an Israeli military base at the Erez crossing point in 1998. AFP -
Albright gives keynote remarks at a naturalisation ceremony at the National Archives in Washington, on September 14, 2016. Photo: National Archives
“We can’t just be actors, we have to be actors in our own history,” said Mr Clinton. “Sit on our shoulders and nag us to death until we do the right thing.”
Ms Clinton, who maintained a personal relationship with Albright, made reference to her friend and colleague's signature brooches and dancing skills, which drew a rare moment of applause during the solemn occasion.
“The angels better be wearing their best pins and putting on their dancing shoes because, as if Madeline believed, there is a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women, they haven’t seen anyone like her yet,” said Ms Clinton.
“She also delivered blunt warnings about authoritarianism and fascism with undeniable moral clarity. Until the end, she was always in a hurry to do good.”
Musical interludes were performed by trumpeter Chris Botti, who performed Hallelujah, as well as pianist Herbie Hancock.
Foreign dignitaries in attendance included the presidents of Georgia and Kosovo and senior officials from Colombia, Bosnia and the Czech Republic.
The pallbearers were former members of Albright’s Diplomatic Security Service and protective detail from her time as both US ambassador to the UN and as secretary of state.
At the time of her death, Mr Biden hailed Albright as someone who “turned the tide of history” and “defied convention and broke barriers again and again”.
Albright took the helm of the State Department in 1997, dealing with a post-Cold War world in which the US had emerged as the sole superpower.
She led crucial discussions with world leaders on arms control, trade, terrorism and the future of Nato.
Albright was born in the former Czechoslovakia and fled the approaching Nazis with her family to London. She then entered the US as a refugee in 1948, as Soviet communism spread across Eastern Europe after the Second World War.
Reflecting on her rise to secretary of state, which came after decades of building influence in Democratic party circles, Albright quipped that previously “the only way a woman could truly make her foreign policy views felt was by marrying a diplomat and then pouring tea on an offending ambassador's lap”.
Notably absent were Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden. Ms Harris tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and is isolating.
Agencies contributed to this report
