this is bbc world news today. our main headlines. what a wonder people are feared dead in cuba after a passenger plane crashed on take—off in havana. three people were pulled alive from the wreckage. ten people have been killed in a shooting at a high school in santa fe in texas. the gunmen to a student has been arrested and another person has been detained for questioning. ahead of tomorrow's royal wedding of prince harry and his brother and best man have been meeting well—wishers in the english town of windsor. crowds are gathering for the events to take place. and it has been announced that prince charles will walk meghan markle down the aisle at the wedding. the bride to be asked the heir to the british throne after her own father had to pull out of the ceremony due to health reasons. what's more as always on our website. that's it from me. at ten they will

be here for a full round of today's news. a special edition of witness introduces us to five important royal moments of the recent past. hello and welcome to witness with me. here at the british library for a special programme looking at the changing nature of royalty. during the 20th century. we would hear about the japanese royal wedding which broke more than 2000 years of tradition. we will remember the african king who fell in love and lost his throne. we will also hear

from a european king who lost his crown and we will find out how princess diana used her position to change social attitudes. but first, russia and one of the defining moments of the 20th century. the russian revolution and the overthrow of the last tsar. princess 0lga romanoff is the great niece of sir nicholas ii. she spoke about his death and eventual reburial. following the priests and the nobles. tsar and nicholas of imperial russia with his wife and children. one day all to find death ina children. one day all to find death in a bullet swept seller. my grandmother was nicholas's sister. and my father was his eldest nephew. we called him uncle nicky. nichols adored him when they went on maneuvers together and did

everything together. and travelled a lot with the tsar and was very close to the girls. they used to play together and have rollerblade races and cycle races and pony races up and cycle races and pony races up and down the palaces. the russian territories were fast, and they were incredibly powerful. also, nicholas was the head of the church. already there was bolshevik movements and there was bolshevik movements and the russian royal family were not as powerful as they were in 1900. on march the 15th 1917, czar nicholas ii was forced to abdicate from economic pressure that led to total revolution. he and his family were taken and they were held and went to where they were eventually murdered.

i think the communists were worried that he might be put on the throne again orat that he might be put on the throne again or at least might have more influence than what they would like him to have. his memory is revered here, but during his lifetime tsar was accused of being both weak and inconsistent and stubbornly clinging to power. the romanovs are credited with dignity and bravery leading to their execution. the children were 0lga, tatiana, maria and anastacia. as there is the brother of alexi along with the impressed. alexander and nicholas himself are all shot. after the fall of the soviet union we heard on the grapevine that the bodies of nicholas and family had been snow discovered in a swamp and there was a movement that they would get a decent burial in st petersburg

with the rest of their family. in 98 injuly one of my sons and myself went to st petersburg for the first time for the funeral of nicholas ii. there were between 52 and 56 romanoff. it slows down in keeping with the russian tradition in which the coffins of the dead are driven past the place that was their last home on earth. we all went over from airports to the fortress. and what struck me amazingly were so many people in the street, and all of them were signing the cross and bowing. and then the queen had very kindly said officers. the honour guard included a paperfrom the

royal scots dragoon guards. guard included a paperfrom the royal scots dragoon guardsm guard included a paperfrom the royal scots dragoon guards. it was a very long service. all laid out in front of the altar and it all felt very emotional. it had a feel of holiness and sanctity. it was just nice to have them safely buried. princess 0lga romanov. why they ruled russia for over 300 years, the japanese royal family is said to be the worlds oldest hereditary monarchy tracing a direct line back more than two and a half thousand yea rs. more than two and a half thousand years. in 1959, the crown prince married for love meeting his fiancee, the daughter of a wealthy flour miller on the tennis court. he has merit a convert —— commoner. breaking tradition of more than 2600 yea rs. the marriage ceremony only lasting

50 minutes took place in it would enshrine within the walls of the imperial palace. no hint of any western influence in the wedding ritual. inroads such as the members of the famine have worn for centuries. the crown prince and his bride were made man and wife. burdened by no fewer than 12 tomatoes he took the princess three hours to dress. the total weight was £33. cheers accompanied them all the way as they began their drive through tokyo. suzukiat suzuki at his home injapan. in the 19505, suzuki at his home injapan. in the 1950s, the marriage between a white woman and an african prince caused uproar. he was a future king of botswa na. uproar. he was a future king of botswana. ruth williams was a secretary from britain. both countries opposed the union. he was exiled and forced to renounce his throne. ruth's sister, murillo went

sanderson introduced the couple. throne. ruth's sister, murillo went sanderson introduced the couplelj never sanderson introduced the couple.” never met an african until i went to this london missionary society conference in 19116 and i was only 24. i conference in 1946 and i was only 24. i went out to dinner and at the table there he was. he was the average her as chief of the tribe which is like a king. we became very good friends, and are used to go up every saturday night. my sister, ruth, did not have anything to do on saturday nights and i asked her if she would like to come up with me. we met through my sister. they used to have weakened things for african students. it clicked from the word go. you get this attraction and it's impossible to describe, but it's just there. we discovered we like to think about music. people like the right spots because of ella fitzgerald. they had so much and, because of their different backgrounds. in those days the

racial situation in london was not very good. whites and blacks did not drop together especially a white girland a black drop together especially a white girl and a black man. we were very much in love and knew we were going to upset our families, but at the same time we did not want to live apart. i think she was very brave and so was he. his father had died when he was very young and he was brought up by his uncle. he was very much against the marriage and thought it would be leading the tribe down and you can have a chief with a white bride. they wanted to be buried in the anglican church, u nfortu nately be buried in the anglican church, unfortunately it was written to the missionary society to stop the wedding and they contacted the bishop of london and he telephoned the vicar the morning of the marriage to say he wasn't to marry them. so that was a saturday. 0n monday morning he went to the registry office, bought a special

license and then wednesday morning at 9am a range to get married. we we re at 9am a range to get married. we were stubborn. 0ther at 9am a range to get married. we were stubborn. other people equally stubborn in attitudes trying to prevent us. it was discussed in parliament. churchill said they were very brave couple even though he did not approve of the marriage. the british government sent out a team to look at the suitability of him being the chief. 27-year-old chief designate of the tribe. he has to britain to discuss the future rulership of the tribe. they had a lot of protests in south africa. they said we don't approve of a couple being in such a prominent position. the british government exiled him even though the committee that went out could not find anything wrong with the marriage. had we not had the letter i think

just the fact that people were trying to separate us even after we we re trying to separate us even after we were married they still tried to separate us. some would discredit one time as trying to split an atom. it was all over the world and i cannot believe it was mine family and we were living through this. it's six years since he was banned. he has renounced his chieftaincy forever and the ban is lifted. when he was setting up the political party he travelled all over botswa na. party he travelled all over botswana. 0ne party he travelled all over botswana. one of these times the car broke down. she had three months training in car maintenance and she goes out and fixes the car. he said, i certainly married the right woman. murillo williams henderson who died in 2015. the member you can watch witness every once in the bbc news channel or catch up on all our films

well with more than 1000 radio programmes in our online archive of. just go to bbc .co .uk/ witness. in 1987 the world was in fear of a deadly new disease which seemed to target gay men. news headlines created hysteria which suggested hiv and aids could be picked up from casual contact. it tookjust one photograph with the world's most famous woman, diana, princess of wales to change that. jono rather was a nurse and britain's first purpose built aids ward. for everybody affected by hiv around the world it was a major coup. it was amazing. officially she wasjust opening the first aids ward but more significant lady she demonstrated to staff and patients the confidence that aids cannot be contracted by casual contact. people were

frightened, really frightened. because we did not really know what it was to begin with. there was of aids phobia and homophobia. the media were unkind, particularly the tablet press. a lot of misinformation and hysteria. the headlines were scaremongering, ignorance. misleading the general public. as far as i am concerned the gameplay was the homophobia, not the virus. i didn't tell anybody what i did. it tell fellow nurses doctors what i did. we couldn't attract a staff because people were frightened. it has graded other pressures in the hospital. staff treated with aids are subject to unusual strains. have to be careful

of blood and body fluids because that's the way it is transmitted. if we are dealing with those things that we will wear gloves and aprons if necessary, but we are not going out of our way to where space suits and the rest because it is totally unnecessary. my first impressions of princess diana was that she was warm, sophisticated, elegant and smart. i want stupar instantly. she took our consultant down a peg or two who really condescended the said do you know if this is? he was holding up an x—ray of a chest. she just very politely said, a patron of the british heart and lung foundation, of course a note an x—ray is. i thought, good on you, i like that. does the patient always around but she will wear for an engagement but it has readied been keener than yesterday. which he or wouldn't she wear gloves? princess

anne it demonstrated that she cared because she took everybody's hand. this was diana, the princess of wales coming in glove less and shaking our patient's hands as well as ours. that was very moving. the ward can take 12 relations. today, though, the beds were empty. they we re though, the beds were empty. they were hiding from the media on happy the way they have covered the aids epidemic in the past. 0ne did agree to the princess shaping his hands to prove you can't catch aids through casual contact. i don't think it took a lot of convincing for him because he was loving diana. a royal was allowed to shake a patient's hand. some at the bus stop with the supermarket to do the same. that really educated people. john 0'reilly. and finally to bulgaria where the monarchy was abolished by communism after the second world

war. unlike the russian romanoff in 1918. most of the royal family was spared but were banished from the country. the king at the time was just nine years old crowd after the sudden death of his father. half a century later, he returns to bulgaria to run the country not as cain but as prime minister. the monarchy strikes back. after more than 50 years in exile, former king's vote was much more than symbolic. i really didn't think that we would have such a landslide. it was really quite a surprise. it was also the decision. he was just a boy when he was crowned king in 1943 at the age of led a country which is a relu cta nt the age of led a country which is a reluctant ally of nazi germany during the second world war. reluctant ally of nazi germany

during the second world wanm september 1944 the soviets took the city and there was a coup d'etat and there is a period where my uncle and there is a period where my uncle and the other regions plus a number of people were executed. we left from this house is a matter of fact. right from the store. we boarded a royal train and my mother noticed there were russian soldiers and if thoughts to the very worst. without we would be taken somewhere and is done in. we never thought that this would last 50 years. suddenly, the way of the west was opened. this did not look like a planned move from

the authorities but rather another panicked response by government giving way to the parliament of the streets. watching the news of the fall of the war, those early this is where i started thinking well, there might bea where i started thinking well, there might be a chance that we will see blog area again. he returned from exile to huge crowds in 1996. from one part of the road to the centre was literally a sea of people. most buggier as big a decade of democracy after the fall of common —ism has given them far too little reward. now come the ex—king must decide how to lead his people again.” now come the ex—king must decide how to lead his people again. i have since demoted myself to be prime minister rather than stay with a hypothetical title of king to be able to be more useful. to me, it was something which was against

everything i have been taught over the years. that the king would not meddle in direct politics. that's one thing that cost me, personally, and a lot of sleepless nights. to my father's generation, for centuries people only had married within the families. my generation, people started marrying persons who were out of the royal families. this itself shows that monarchy is about something stuck in history. my view is having won but has i could not say that there is one single system which is the best, but certainly a monarchy is something much more flexible and the politician, which i have been works with four years term or five years term. the king

have been works with four years term orfive years term. the king is actually with a generation and so you think we are 25 years ahead, roughly. i think the more people get a little bit upset with their politicians, the more and monarchy has functioned. i think it's a pretty fair system and i am not doing publicity of my own trade, but i really think it. formally king simeon the second is to witness from the palace and bulgaria. that's all from this special edition of witness here at the british library. we will be back again next month with more extraordinary moments in history and the remarkable people who witnessed them. for now, from me and the entire witness team goodbye. hello. this long—range weather

forecast ta kes hello. this long—range weather forecast takes us right through into next week. one or two major events happening this weekend we will tackle the first of all. that's how i looked in windsor during friday. sunny skies overhead in the sun will still be shining in windsor as we go on through saturday. the royal wedding 21 degrees during afternoon and that's because high pressure will be firmly in charge of the scene. not only windsor will be fine and strive for the final at wembley. the scottish cup final in glasgow. we're looking at a fine day and just about the far north all the way down into the far south. patchy clouds developing through the afternoon and slightly more widespread cloudy

skies into northern ireland in northwest scotland later in the day. temperatures doing quite nicely and 20 degrees and edinburgh. anyone in london. high pressure holds firm down towards the southeast as we get into sunday. it will bring a change towards northwestern areas. particularly the northwest of scotla nd particularly the northwest of scotland and some outbreaks of rain splashing through at times but not all the time it certainly will be a com plete all the time it certainly will be a complete wash—out and the further south and east to look more in the way of dry weather and sunshine. this temperatures nudging upwards. perhaps 22 in birmingham. this frontal system will really just wriggle around the question areas as a move out of sunday into monday. but as pressure falling down towards the south, an area of low pressure drifting up towards the continent and that could allow us to develop showers and thunderstorms as the goal on towards monday. driven by the warmth. 22, 20 three degrees and it is our weather fined by the stage retreating from the northwest of and northern ireland. it will continue

to pull away at the get into tuesday. a dry weather again but a potential for one tuesday. a dry weather again but a potentialfor one or tuesday. a dry weather again but a potential for one or two scattered showers and the odd afternoon thunderstorm as well. 0nce around at this stage and just about all of us seem to produce into the high teens at least but we're looking at low to mid 20s across parts of the south and southeast england. tuesday and wednesday and high pressure builds its way back in from the southwest so this means a continuation of the largely settled theme. wednesday may bea largely settled theme. wednesday may be a fine day and a high will be building its way back in. not as many showers at this stage and still be one or two here and there. other frontal system beginning to creep in from of the end of the day and those temperatures doing quite nicely in the south. as look further ahead through the end of next weekend and on to the weekend high pressure never far away but from time to time we will see frontal systems still trying to push him from the northwest. that's because they will

be these days in the jet stream. bernie potential for more unsettled weather and once each dip in thejet strea m weather and once each dip in thejet stream has moved through we allow pressure to build once again. high—pressure always wants to be in charge of the scene as to move through the end of the week and into next weekend. with high pressure not to far away we can expect things to remain mostly dry. depending on exactly what is high and stop doesn't look like the flow around it will be particularly warm or chilli. temperatures around about the average for this time of year. next weekend spells and sunshine zalie warren but there is always just the chance a little bit of rain as the systems push in from the west. all from me for now. have a good weekend. we're live from windsor castle for the final countdown to the wedding of prince harry and meghan markle. good evening, ms markle. how are you feeling tonight? meghan and her mother, doria, have arrived at a grand country house hotel, where they'll be spending the night. harry, harry! prince harry with his best man,

prince william, took time to talk to the crowds around the castle. there is a party atmosphere in windsor tonight, the pavements are full of people — many of them getting ready to bed down for the night. and the other main stories tonight at 10pm: dozens are feared dead after a cuban airways plane with 113 passengers and crew crashes on take—off in havana. ten people have been killed in a high school shooting by a pupil in texas. the majority of the dead are students. and... sergei skripal, the former russian spy poisoned