Albright, who died in March of cancer at the age of 84, expected to be remembered by her friends and family, many current and former US government officials, US presidents, secretaries of state, foreign leaders and diplomats, as well as many Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

Albright was a pivotal figure in the administration of former President Bill Clinton, the first to serve as the US ambassador to the United Nations before choosing her in his second term to be the first female secretary of state. In her position, she advocated NATO expansion, pushed for coalition intervention in the Balkans to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing, and sought to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons and advance human rights and democracy around the world.

Albright’s cathedral service will begin at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, with honors expected to be From President Joe BidenFormer President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Albright’s daughters – Anne Albright, Alice Albright and Catherine Albright – will also speak. Episcopal clergy are expected to administer the service. Musicians Chris Botti and Herbie Hancock will perform a tribute.

Several other Biden officials are expected to attend, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dennis McDonough, and U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, the former secretary of state.

Also in attendance will be former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, former Vice President Al Gore, and former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, Chuck Hagel and Bill Cohen.

Along with several honorary pallbearers, the pallbearers on Wednesday’s service will consist of Albright’s Diplomatic Security Service and protective detailing during her tenure as ambassador and as Secretary of State.

Born in Prague in 1937, Marie-Jana Korpilova, daughter of a Czechoslovak diplomat, Albright fled her homeland with her family 10 days after the Nazi invasion. Her experience growing up in communist Yugoslavia and then fleeing to the United States made her a lifelong opponent of authoritarianism and fascism.

Albright became the face of US foreign policy in the decade between the end of the Cold War and the war on terror unleashed by the September 11, 2001 attacks – an era that President George HW Bush heralded as a “New World Order”. The United States, particularly in Iraq and the Balkans, built international alliances and sometimes intervened militarily to roll back authoritarian regimes. Albright – a self-described “pragmatic idealist” who called “resolute pluralism” to describe the Clinton administration’s foreign policy – drew from her childhood experiences growing up in Yugoslavia and escaping from it to shape her worldview.

After being Secretary of State, Albright served as president of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington from 2001 until her death, and taught at Georgetown University. Albright was also a prolific author, writing seven New York Times bestsellers.

At Wednesday’s service, former teaching assistants who worked at Albright’s classes in Georgetown are expected to serve as mentors.