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Queen Elizabeth II

ITV to broadcast The Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations

As preparations get underway for the celebration of The Queen’s 90th birthday next year, it has been announced that ITV will be the host broadcaster for the historical event, providing live coverage of the spectacular show to be held at Windsor Castle.

The event’s producer and director Simon Books-Ward said that he was “looking forward” to working with ITV.

“This will be a spectacular set piece national event to celebrate a truly remarkable life,” he added. “We have worked with ITV in the past. We have complete confidence in ITV’s ability and we are looking forward to working with ITV.”

ITV was chosen over its rival broadcasting company BBC due to the latter’s disappointing coverage of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Nearly 5,000 people called in with complaints, and Stephen Fry even went so far as to describe Fearne Cotton’s presentation of the event as ” mind-numbingly tedious”.

This is not the first time that ITV has been involved with royal events. Following their engagement in 2010, Prince William and the then Kate Middleton gave an exclusive interview to ITV’s political correspondent, Tom Bradby.

Her Majesty The Queen will celebrate her 90th birthday next April. The highlight of the celebrations will be a glorious pageant on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The event will feature 600 horses, to highlight The Queen’s love for racing and mounted regiments.

Every significant event of Her Majesty’s life will be recounted over four nights, from May 12 to May 15. The Queen herself will attend the final performance.

“This will be a set-piece national event that will celebrate a truly remarkable life,” Mr Books-Ward said. “This is all about having a party, and we will have horses coming here from Commonwealth countries and all over the world to join what will be a unique occasion.”

The show has been 18 months in the planning, with riders from Canada, South Africa , Chile and New Zealand joining in. All three branches of the Armed forces will be present as well, and musical entertainment will be provides by a number of singers, including Katherine Jenkins.

“I’ve always admired Her Majesty and that’s why I’m so honoured to have been asked to perform at her birthday celebration,” Ms Jenkins said.

Tickets for the event will be available to the public, and will go on sale later this year.

Featured photo credit: Michael Gwyther-Jones via Flickr