Albert Harber's funeralAlbert Harber's funeral
Albert Harber's funeral

Respected Sussex traveller given extravagant send off in Simon Cowell’s old Rolls-Royce - ‘There was laughter, tears and moments of real passion’

A well-respected member of the traveller community was driven to his funeral in a Rolls-Royce once owned by Simon Cowell in Sussex on Friday (June 12).

Hundreds gathered to celebrate the life of Albert Harber, 47, with roads between Chichester and Easthamptnett brought to a standstill. A silver Phantom VII was booked for the service after having been converted into a custom-built hearse. Floral KFC, Joop aftershave and a Susan Boyle portrait starred in the funeral procession. James MacMillan, who led the service, said it was an ‘amazing day’ and something he was ‘really glad to be a part of’. He added: “It was very respectful and an absolute celebration of life. There was laughter, tears and moments of real passion. I read out words and memories from the family and there was audible laughter and deep emotion. It was the best, worst day we could possibly make it.” Funeral director Ian Hart said it was a ‘fitting send off’ for a ‘well-loved man’, who was a big fan of the X Factor. He added: “The Rolls-Royce came down from Nottingham and was formerly owned by Simon Cowell before it was converted into a hearse. We had an open air service in the Romany site. It was an honour and a privilege to look after them.” Among the floral tributes were ones of Mr Harber’s idol, singer Susan Boyle. Mr MacMillan said: “He was very keen on Susan Boyle. He would regularly re-watch the [Britain’s Got Talent] audition of her singing I dreamed, a dream. That was a big thing of his which is why we had a bit of Susan Boyle in the service. He was clearly highly thought of, shown by the extravagance that they went to and there was a fair amount of people there.”