American TV scrambles to find British royal experts at up to $100,000 a pop
With everyone getting the same camera feed of the wedding ceremony, it's all up to just how on-the-ball your hired royalty experts are. Of course Piers Morgan has a flying start. He once had lunch with Diana and William.
In addition to the national figures - Barbara Walters et al - local stations, more accustomed to dramatising five-alarm fires, are "sending" teams - three from Boston alone.
Lacking local knowledge, the networks have been signing up British royalty pundits . Everyone will have the same camera feed of the ceremony, says the New York Times, so there is fierce competition "to hire talent to help their networks stand out as they fill the hours of time before and after."
Rob Silverstein, executive producer of TV show AccessHollywood, said “You would be shocked by how many e-mails we got from agents pitching their client as a royalty expert because they once saw Prince William, or once met Kate Middleton, or have once had dinner in the same restaurant." The thing, of course, was to have an English accent.
Bidding wars over the most popular British personalities had led to contract prices over $100,000 for “special correspondents,” said the Times .
Katie Nicholl, author of a book about the bride and groom, will be working for ABC News, CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, and Extra. NBC has a long-term contract with Ben Fogle, a British TV host who traveled with Prince William last year- and who will actually be a guest at the wedding. ABC has signed Tina Brown, India Hicks (former Diana bridesmaid), and Colleen Harris, William's former press secretary.
Piers Morgan of course will be popping home to London where he recently bought a pub. His wife, Celia Walden, who writes for The Daily Telegraph, will be appearing on NBC and Extra in the United States as well as on ITN in Britain.
Mr. Morgan said what he wants out of his guests on “Piers Morgan Tonight,” his show on CNN, are personal stories and anecdotes. He himself would be recalling a private lunch he had with Princess Diana and Prince William when the prince was 13 years old.LATE FLASH: Piers 's CNN colleague Phil Han will pitching a tent and sleeping on the "sidewalks" in front of Buckingham Place from Tuesday to chat up the diehard Royal fans. "Whoever said television was a glamorous business." he asks.