TOM CRUISE - CRUISE TO ATTEND PACKER FUNERAL ALONE

LATEST: Movie star TOM CRUISE will attend the funeral of media mogul KERRY PACKER in Sydney, Australia alone on Friday (17FEB06), after his pregnant fiancee KATIE HOLMES decided to stay at home at the last minute.

Despite travel plans and accommodation arrangements being scheduled for both Cruise and Holmes, the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE star will stay at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney without his 27-year-old wife-to-be.

Holmes is at least seven months pregnant and was reportedly advised not to endure the 14-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney.

Cruise is a friend of Packer's son JAMES, and will attend the state funeral for the elder Packer on Friday.

Actor RUSSELL CROWE is scheduled to deliver the eulogy during the funeral, which is being broadcast live on Australian television.

Cruise spent New Year's Eve 1999 on Sydney Harbour on Packer's yacht, the Arctic P, with his wife at the time, NICOLE KIDMAN.

The actor is expected to spend time on the yacht again during his visit, before flying out of Sydney on Sunday (19FEB06).