ABC broadcasts live from Palace

Programme excerpts

An American breakfast TV programme has broadcast live from Buckingham Palace in a second day of Royal programmes.

Good Morning America has broadcast two special shows aimed at getting more American tourists to visit the UK. The first was from Windsor Castle.

The presenters toured the state rooms of the royal residence in central London, while another team was at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The Queen was at Balmoral while the broadcasts took place.

The Duke of York was interviewed about his life, the Royal family and the Palace, as part of the broadcast.

Guided tour

Prince Andrew played down fears that the number of foreign visitors to the UK had dropped rapidly since the 7 July terrorist attacks.

"It hasn't necessarily reduced as much from overseas tourists as we would have expected," he said.

"Politicians, policemen, they are working extremely hard to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Good Morning America regularly attracts 5 million viewers

Prince Andrew told the programme he supported his nephew Prince Harry's decision to do Army officer training, saying his own 22 years in the armed forces had put him "in very, very good stead".

Talking about his own childhood inside the palace, he admitted playing cricket and football there.

"We were fairly rough and tumble as children," he said.

At Buckingham Palace, the cameras were allowed into the Throne Room and the White Drawing Room.

They also visited the Palace gardens and the curving marble Grand Staircase.

The ABC show, the US's second most-watched breakfast programme, went out from Windsor Castle on Thursday.

Presenter Charles Gibson called the show a "one-of-a-kind broadcast".

Publicity drive

Co-presenter Claire Shipman told viewers: "What is truly fascinating is this is the place where the Queen feels she can truly relax.

"She comes here almost every weekend with her husband Prince Philip."

The Royal family are helping a UK tourism drive

Gibson interviewed castle staff in the Waterloo Chamber before viewers were told about the love lives of "the young men who would be Kings" - Princes William and Harry.

Visit Britain chief Tom Wright said he hoped the Royals' popularity in the US would help to attract more visitors.

He said it was a "challenging time" for the tourism industry, saying "visits by Americans - our most important market - have still not returned to 2000 levels".

ABC bosses said they were "very excited" about the broadcasts, saying the idea had never been tried before.