A US teenager who was killed in a homophobic attack in 1998 is to be interred at the Washington National Cathedral.

Matthew Shepard will be interred at the cathedral following a service on Friday at the request of his family.

The service will celebrate and remember Shepard's life, and will be followed by a private interment in the cathedral crypt.

Friday October 12th marked the 20th anniversary of Shepard's death.

The 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was attacked and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, where he was left to die.

On October 12th, he died from his injuries in hospital.

Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother, said: "We've given much thought to Matt's final resting place, and we found the Washington National Cathedral is an ideal choice, as Matt loved the Episcopal church and felt welcomed by his church in Wyoming.

"For the past 20 years, we have shared Matt's story with the world.

"It's reassuring to know he now will rest in a sacred spot where folks can come to reflect on creating a safer, kinder world."

A longtime supporter of the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the church, the cathedral considers LGBTQ equality one of the great civil rights issue of the church in the 21st century.

The cathedral hosted its first same-sex wedding in 2010, and welcomed its first transgender preacher, Reverand Cameron Partridge, in 2014.

Shepard will be one of approximately 200 people to have been interred in the cathedral over the last century.

Others include former President Woodrow Wilson, Bishop Thomas Claggett - the first Episcopal Bishop ordained on American soil - and Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan.

Following her son's death, Judy Shepard set up the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

A film about Matthew's life and death, starring Stockard Channing, was released in 2002.