Buckingham Palace stands firm over wedding night lights

The lights illuminating the front of Buckingham Palace will go out on the night of Friday’s royal wedding despite foreign efforts to have them stay on all night.

American TV networks have been setting up studios outside the palace at great expense and hoped that their presenters would be able to go live from the scene at prime time. But the time difference (five hours between London and New York, eight hours between London and L.A.) means that prime time state-side is bedtime in the UK.

The palace did give some ground and the lights will go out at 00:30 British Summer Time, rather than the usual 23:00. However it has refused to keep them on all night, citing environmental and residential concerns as Palace staff may be kept awake if the lights stay on.

US and Canadian networks are pulling out all the stops for the wedding day and have sent their biggest names and dozens of support crew including hairdressers and make-up staff. It has been estimated that up to two million people will watch the event worldwide.

They will however be able to give their nocturnal pieces to camera from Westminster Abbey where the wedding ceremony will take place as the church will be lit up all night long.

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