Mumbai, June 5th , 2012: To mark 60 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign over the UK and as Head of the Commonwealth, BBC World News will be bringing audiences a special series of programmes and live events as people in Britain takes part in three days of national celebrations.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather in London for the Diamond Jubilee weekend, and BBC World News will be there throughout with live coverage of the main events from Sunday 3 June to Tuesday 5 June with highlights that will include:
Royal Procession & Service of Thanksgiving
Tuesday 5 June
The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. It will include a prayer written, at The Queen’s direction, by the Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral in honour of the Diamond Jubilee. Mishal Husain and Huw Edwards report fromthe Service.
Plus, there will be coverage of the Royal Family travelling from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace by carriage along a processional route which will be lined with thousands of well-wishers, and the Royal family will also appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF fly past.
Richard Porter, Controller, English Global News said: “From the heart of London, BBC World News will provide comprehensive coverage of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. From the Thames River Pageant to the Service of Thanksgiving, our viewers throughout the world can enjoy a special weekend celebrating the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. ”
Programmes on BBC World News will include:
The Diamond Queen
Starts this June, Saturdays at 7.40am & 8.40pm and Sundays at 2.40pm
A landmark documentary series presented by Andrew Marr to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years as Head of State of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth.
To mark the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II reaching her Diamond Jubilee, The Diamond Queen presents a definitive analysis of The Queen’s reign, examining her history, constitutional role and responsibilities, and her impact around the world.
It features interviews with prime ministers, world leaders and special interviews with members of the Royal Family, and closely follows The Queen’s working engagements around the world for the period of more than a year and a half.
Episode 1
2nd June & 3rd June
Saturdays at 7.40am & 8.40pm and Sundays at 2.40pm
Andrew Marr observes the day-to-day duties of The Queen and hears from Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge; Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie about the remarkable skills she has acquired in 60 years of walkabouts, state visits and receptions. He looks at the influence of the Queen’s grandfather, father and mother, the impact of the abdication, and the unique relationship between the Head of State and her Government. The film follows the Queen to the Middle East and the USA, assessing her global impact on British trade and international relations through interviews with the Duke of York, Foreign Secretary William Hague and Prime Minister David Cameron.
Episode 2
9thJune & 10th June
Saturdays at 7.40am & 8.40pm and Sundays at 2.40pm
Andrew Marr assesses The Queen’s moves to modernise the monarchy over the last 60 years, from the abolition of the presentation of debutantes in 1958 to the opening up of the Palaces, themed receptions and garden parties at the Palace, and the very modern wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.
Reflecting on the hugely successful royal wedding, Prince William and Prince Harry talk about their grandmother’s influence on the day – including their choice of uniforms! The programme also looks at her response to the challenges of the ‘annushorribilis’ of 1992, and asks whether there is a royal master plan, with insight from members of the Royal Family on how they divide and choose their duties and engagements. David Cameron and Taoiseach Enda Kenny also give their verdict on The Queen’s ground-breaking visit to Ireland.
Episode 3
16thJune & 17th June
Saturdays at 7.40am & 8.40pm and Sundays at 2.40pm
The final episode examines the defining moments of The Queen’s reign, beginning with her accession to the throne in 1952 and her Coronation 16 months later. Marr examines how she has coped with decades of changing – and sometimes tense – relations with the media; looks back in time and ahead to royal Jubilees, and charts her trip to Australia to look at what some see as her most enduring achievement – the Commonwealth. For the first time, all of her adult grandchildren have their say about ‘The Diamond Queen’.
Tim Marlow: Royal River
Saturday 2nd June at 9.00am & 10.00pm
Sunday 3rd June at 3pm
Join Tim Marlow and guest-curator David Starkey as they guide viewers around the Royal River exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.
Magnificent gilded barges, liverymen in their finest uniforms, the splendour of lavish celebrations: the Thames is the ‘royal river’, used for centuries by British monarchs to involve the people in ceremony and festivities displaying their regal status. For hundreds of years this famous royal river has been host to the pageantry of coronations, processions of boats, and other events which helped tie people closer to the Crown and to London as Britain’s capital.
This spectacular exhibition, a landmark heritage event of the year, brings together nearly 400 beautiful, fascinating and often unique objects, including one of the largest-ever loans of Royal Collection objects to any museum. Created to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and guest-curated by historian David Starkey, Royal River presents the historic Thames in all its glory, from British royal and City events to London’s famous watermen, and the river’s transformation after the notorious ‘Great Stink’.
With the Queen celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this weekend, Paddy O’Connell presents Weekend World from the grounds of Kensington Palace, home to William and Kate, Duke and Duchess. Paddy will interview Alexandra Kim, the curator of the Palace’s Diamond Jubilee exhibition which explores Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee from 1897 and is entitled: Jubilee - A View From The Crowd - and will hear from those in the crowd at the Palace about what the Jubilee means to them. As ever Weekend World will preview the best programmes coming up over the weekend on BBC World News, as well as hearing the viewers’ thoughts and views on our programmes.
Posted By RASRAJ