ITV confirmed last night that there will be no commercial breaks during its
coverage of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th birthday pageant on
Wednesday.
Uninterrupted coverage of the military parade and pageant will be provided
between 5pm and 6.30pm because it was the "best way to bring it to the
viewers", ITV said.
The decision, which is likely to cost the network hundreds of thousands of
pounds in lost advertising revenue, was taken in May, when it agreed to
broadcast the event after the BBC pulled out.
~*~
Royal couple wraps up trip to Prince Edward Island (CBC News)
CHARLOTTETOWN - Prince Edward and his wife
Sophie ended a whirlwind tour of P.E.I.
Sunday the way they began it: delighting
crowds with big smiles and small talk.
With scarlet-clad
mounties nearby,
they wandered past
long lines of fans,
stopping to chat
with admirers,
including a young
girl holding her pet
guinea pig named Max.
Sophie patted the rodent's nose, while her
husband pointed out that they'd already met a
number of furry friends on the trip including a
Yorkshire terrier.
The weekend trip, which began at 3 p.m. local
time Friday, had two serious moments.
Saturday night, Edward expressed sadness
over word of the deadly tornado in Alberta
.
Then on Sunday, at the opening of the 39th
Conference of the Canadian branch of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association,
he waded into political waters.
The prince
suggested
delegates think
carefully about
"democracy," and
whether any
political system, no
matter how grand
the Commowealth might think it is, should be
pushed on others abroad.
"It took us in Britain centuries to develop the
Westminster style," Edward said. "Is it really
feasible to ask others to achieve the same in
a matter of decades?"
"It seems to work for us — just," he added.
"But does that mean it works for everyone,
and are we falling into the same trap as, say,
the early religious missionaries?"
"I don't pretend to have the answer, but
sometimes I feel democracy is an evolutionary
concept, a bit like growing up."
Afterwards, Edward's comments were
downplayed by the association's president,
Mildred Dover.
"My interpretation would be that we have to be
careful that what we mean by democracy is
what we actually have, and what we actually
work for," she said.
It was the first
foreign state visit
by the royal family's
newest couple
since they were
married 13 months
ago.
Organizers said
Prince Edward Island, named after Queen
Victoria's father, was a perfect choice of
destinations because of its intimate size and
warm residents.
Edward and Sophie, also known as the Earl
and Countess of Wessex, flew to Montreal
Sunday night, the next stop on their trip
through eastern Canada.
They will hand out Duke Of Edinburgh awards
for young people in Quebec, before moving on
to Halifax and St. John's for similar
ceremonies. The couple is scheduled to return
to Britain on Tuesday.