BBC and Buckingham Palace smooth relations ahead of Jubilee celebrations
The BBC has held high-level talks with the Royal Family in an effort to heal the fractured relationship between them before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Talks between the broadcaster and the Palace have helped smooth relations which hit a low last year after the extent of the Martin Bashir Diana Panorama scandal was exposed and the airing of a controversial documentary about William and Harry’s relationship with the media.
There was talk of the Palace boycotting the BBC over the Jubilee celebrations following the Amol Rajan series, The Princes and the Press, which is said to have annoyed the Queen by repeating claims about briefing wars between royal households.
But after awarding coverage of a Christmas carol concert hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to ITV, which was seen as a snub to its rival, relations are back on an even keel after the BBC shared plans with the Palace to make the Jubilee a central highlight of its own centenary year.
The BBC has promised that its Platinum Party at the Palace on 4 June, which will be broadcast live and include stars such as Queen, Sir Rod Stewart and Diana Ross, will be a spectacular “once-ina-lifetime experience”. The Queen has given permission to site a stage in front of the gates to Buckingham Palace.
In other broadcasts, home recordings filmed by the Queen, her parents and the Duke of Edinburgh are among a treasure trove of private family footage released by the Royal Household for the BBC documentary Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen, which airs next Sunday.
A BBC spokesman said: “We will be reporting on and analysing the reaction to the Platinum Jubilee across BBC News on TV, radio and online.”
Queen + Adam Lambert will open the BBC event with Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers, Andrea Bocelli, Duran Duran, Bond composer Hans Zimmer, Ella Eyre, Craig David, Mabel, Elbow, George Ezra and Diana Ross also set to perform.
Meanwhile, patriotic bunting is up in London's Regent Street, with more than 150 Union Flags decorating the West End shopping district.
National celebrations for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee are taking place on a special extended bank holiday weekend from June 2 to 5.
Beginning with Trooping the Colour, a balcony appearance by the royals and the lighting of thousands of beacons across the world on June 2, festivities will continue with a service at St Paul's Cathedral on June 3.
It is hoped the Queen will visit the Epsom Derby on June 4. Revellers will gather for the BBC pop concert in the evening.
The finale on June 5 is a Jubilee Pageant through the streets of London.
Set to be watched by up to a billion around the globe, more than 10,000 people will be involved in staging the £15 million pageant, including more than 6,000 volunteers, performers and key workers and 2,500 members of the public.
One PR consultant warned the BBC not to give uncritical coverage of the event.
Mark Borkowski said: “By its nature the Platinum Jubilee celebrates what has gone but also has to examine what will be the shape of the Commonwealth after the Queen. The BBC has to reflect that too.”