BBC1 mixes horses and Camilla
Grandstand coverage of Saturday's Grand National is to be disrupted to make way for the royal wedding, BBC schedulers decided this afternoon.
The corporation is to offer live coverage of both events on BBC1 as part of a compromise schedule hastily drawn up to make room for the delayed marriage ceremony in Windsor.
Coverage of the Aintree meeting, hosted by Sue Barker and Clare Balding, was due to start at 1pm on BBC1 and take in three other races before the main event at 3.45pm.
However, live coverage of Prince Charles's marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, postponed from Friday to avoid a clash with the Pope's funeral, will now begin at 1pm on Saturday.
The wedding broadcast, including coverage of the blessing at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - which is to be attended by 750 invited guests including the prime minister - will run until 3.30pm, when BBC1 will switch to Grand National Grandstand - just 15 minutes before the famous steeplechase begins.
The horseracing coverage will be switched to BBC2 between 1pm and 3.30pm.
Sporting Index has wasted no time opening a book on whether the royal wedding or the Grand National will get the best ratings, predicting 18 million viewers for Charles and Camilla's nuptials and 13 million for the action from Aintree.
The Grand National is normally broadcast on BBC1 and BBC bosses have been loth to squander the huge audiences it attracts. Last year ratings peaked at more than 10 million for the end of the race at around 4pm.
Sophie Raworth and Huw Edwards were due to anchor the BBC's coverage of the royal wedding on Friday, which was to feature 40 cameras - including 25 on the route between Windsor Castle and the register office.
James Naughtie was to have hosted BBC Radio 4's coverage, while Nicholas Owen and Katie Derham had been lined up by ITV.
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