TV show on monarchy is re-edited to study furore

The acerbic historian David Starkey is re-editing a Channel 4 television programme on the modern British monarchy to examine the controversial revelations of the past two weeks.

The 90-minute special, designed as part of Channel 4's schedule for the Christmas holiday season, would have been completed had it not been for the collapse of the Paul Burrell trial and subsequent claims and counter-claims about life inside Buckingham Palace.

But Dr Starkey, who has a £4.5m golden handcuffs deal with Channel 4 and Granada Television, admitted the programme was now being re-worked to assess the implications of the outpouring of scandal. "If the events of the last fortnight hadn't happened, it would have been in the can," he said. "But it's turning into one of the most difficult pieces of programme construction I've been engaged in."

The programme, Royal Rituals, is an examination of the monarchy in the 20th century – and the early years of the 21st – and how it has attempted to present itself to the public.

It follows a conference organised by the Society for Court Studies, an organisation Dr Starkey co-founded, which examined the subject of royal ritual in the media age.

The programme will include the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the media's crucial role in shaping it. It will examine how the Royal Family tries to manipulate its image but how that has become increasingly difficult.