US show live from Windsor Castle

The Queen will not be at Windsor during filming

Popular US breakfast TV show Good Morning America is broadcasting live from Windsor Castle - giving viewers a rare insight into the royal household.

It is hoped the two-day broadcast will promote the UK as a tourist destination for Americans.

Presenters Charlie Gibson and Claire Shipman front the programme on Thursday before heading to Buckingham Palace.

The Queen will be at Balmoral in Scotland but the Duke of York has given an interview to the ABC show.

Good Morning America has five million viewers, making it the second most watched breakfast show in the US.

'Challenging time'

Gibson and Shipman will wander around the castle in Berkshire followed by the cameras in areas such as the kitchens, St George's Chapel and Waterloo Chamber, which houses royal portraits.

It is one of the largest broadcasting operations permitted at one of the Queen's residences.

Grahame Hadden, ABC's chief overseas engineer, said: "We're all very excited to be here. From a professional point of view, I don't think it's been done before."

Good Morning America will broadcast from Buckingham Palace in London and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Friday.

VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright said: "Although 2004 was a record year for international visitor arrivals to the UK, British tourism is facing a challenging time.

"Visits by Americans - our most important market - have still not returned to 2000 levels."