Platinum Jubilee: BBC heals rift with Palace after high-level talks ahead of all-star party TV coverage
The i
The BBC has held high-level talks with the Royal Family to heal a fractured relationship ahead of the Platinum Jubilee.
But the broadcaster has been encouraged to ask “tough questions” about the future of the monarchy as it prepares to screen extensive coverage of the celebrations.
Top-level 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.
However after awarding coverage of a carol concert hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to ITV, 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 promises that its Platinum Party at the Palace on June 4, featuring stars including Queen, Sir Rod Stewart and Diana Ross, will be a spectacular “once-in-a-lifetime experience”, with Her Majesty granting special permission to site a stage in front of Buckingham Palace’s gates.
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 a BBC documentary Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen, which airs on May 29.
Yet the BBC has been warned not to give uncritical coverage of an event, certain to feature extensively on its news output across an extended bank holiday weekend running from June 2 to 5.
Executives have learnt from the viewer response to its coverage of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death, which some found excessive.
“The BBC is under huge pressure to get this right. There has to be a certain amount of forelock-tugging. But this isn’t the 1977 Silver Jubilee. There will have to be tough questions asked about the future of the monarchy too,” Mark Borkowski, the leading PR consultant told i.
“There will be a lot of empathy for the Queen. The baby boom generation feel very protective of her and feel this is her last hurrah,” Mr Borkowski added.
“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.”
The Palace is confident there will be no repeat of the negative coverage directed towards the 2002 Diamond Jubilee when rain turned a Royal river flotilla into a sorry washout – “Why were the Queen and Prince Philip left to shiver in the rain for FOUR hours?,” newspapers demanded.
This time, the BBC must make an editorial judgement over how much coverage should be given to the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, set to divert attention when they arrive in the UK with their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, who turns one over the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Palace aides are desperate to prevent the Harry and Meghan show “destabilising” the weekend, especially if they decide to go on “ad hoc” walkabouts, generating huge crowds, outside of the official events.
An irritant for the Sussexes will be the arrival of Meghan’s estranged father Thomas, who is flying to Britain to be a Jubilee guest on the late-night GB News show presented by Dan Wootton.
ITV delivered its star-studded contribution early, with a Platinum Jubilee Celebration last week, attended by The Queen, staged as part of the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
The event, which paired Tom Cruise and Alan Titchmarsh as presenters, was a “carriage crash which showed why the BBC is the natural broadcaster for these productions,” said Mr Borkowski.
The show was watched by a peak of 5.2m people, drawing a higher share of viewing than average across all age demographics, yet with the bulk of viewers (54 per cent) aged 65-plus, much higher than the norm for that Sunday slot.
The Jubilee may capture post-pandemic public mood that is looking for anything to celebrate. “People want to be outside enjoying street parties,” Mr Borkowksi suggested.
In a further move to mark the occasion, the BBC is offering local communities a special one-off TV Licence dispensation so they can use a big screen to show the events.
“The Rajan film didn’t seem to go down that well,” Mr Borkowski suggested.
“This is a chance for the BBC to sprinkle a bit of magic on the monarchy and help its own chances of keeping the licence fee. It should be win for both parties – as long as it doesn’t rain.”
A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC will be covering the celebrations in London and the beacons and parties across the UK and around the world.”
“We will be reporting on and analysing the reaction to the Platinum Jubilee and across BBC News on TV, radio and online we will be asking the audience how they are marking and spending the weekend. BBC News will also be providing coverage of other important news stories throughout the weekend.”