BBC boss to explain Queen clip row

12 April 2012

BBC director-general Mark Thompson is facing members of the BBC Trust to explain how its trailer for a documentary about the Queen turned into a royal fiasco.

The Trust, led by chairman Sir Michael Lyons, has asked Mr Thompson to provide an account of what went wrong.

Mr Thompson will also reveal two new potential phone-in scandals which have come to light since, according to reports.

The row blew up last week when journalists were shown a trailer for forthcoming documentary A Year With The Queen during BBC1's autumn season launch which gave the impression that the Queen had stormed out of a photoshoot.

Celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz was seen asking the Queen to remove her crown. The Queen gave an icy glare and retorted: "Less dressy? What do you think this is?"

The trailer then cut to the Queen walking through Buckingham Palace and telling an aide: "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough dressing like this, thank you very much."

BBC1 controller Peter Fincham said the Queen had "walked out in a huff". But a day later, the BBC was forced to admit that the footage had been shown in the wrong sequence. Instead of storming out of the sitting, she was actually walking in.

The BBC apologised to the Queen and to Ms Leibovitz. Mr Fincham faced calls for his resignation.

But on Monday production company RDF Media accepted the blame. RDF's chief executive David Frank offered an unreserved apology and admitted that the production company had manipulated the chronology of the footage.

Mr Thompson will give an account of events at a meeting to be held at Broadcasting House in central London.

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