Tabloid treatment for the Queen's Christmas speech
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Your support makes all the difference.REPUBLICANS and royalists yesterday had their Christmas festivities spoiled by the leaking of the Queen's Christmas Day message.
Whether they watch the Queen to jeer or cheer, the traditional Christmas event for millions of Britons was undone by the Sun, which published the transcript of the Queen's broadcast.
The leak - justified by one of its executives as a legitimate exercise for a 'newspaper of record' - added a final chapter to the Queen's annus horribilis and threatened to deepen the rift between the monarchy and the press. Buckingham Palace said it was 'very regrettable'.
As Tory royalists expressed their outrage, the search was on for the mole who leaked a copy of the tape which was recorded on Monday at Sandringham by the BBC for screening on Christmas Day on all TV channels.
Kelvin MacKenzie, the editor of the Sun, said on BBC Radio 4's The World at One that it had been leaked by a BBC employee. A spokesman for the Sun later set out to clear up doubts that Mr MacKenzie was being 'mischievous' by confirming that a BBC employee was to blame.
The Corporation, which is conducting an internal inquiry into the leak, said that it would take a very serious view if an employee were found to be involved. It challenged Mr MacKenzie to 'justify his accusation or withdraw it'.
Copies of the tape were sent out by personal messengers to radio stations by the BBC on Tuesday night, with a strict embargo to enable broadcasters to slot the message into their schedules.
'This is a convention that has worked very well until now and the embargo has been respected in the past,' a BBC spokesman said.
Although Mr MacKenzie described the Queen's message as anodyne, later editions of his newspaper carried a front page 'world exclusive' reporting that in her 'emotional' speech, the Queen thanks the many people, whom she acknowledges have troubles of their own, who offered support and sympathy.
The Sun's royal photographer was yesterday barred from taking pictures of the Royal Family at church on Christmas Day.
Arthur Edwards, who has been taking pictures of the royals for 14 years for the paper, was due to cover the morning service at Sandringham Church, Norfolk. He was told the royal rota pass had been given to the Daily Express instead.
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