and those temperatures are near average as well. this is bbc news. the headlines: the british veteran presenter phillip schofield says he has agreed to step down from itv�*s this morning �*with immediate effect�* after more than 20 years. ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky meets uk prime minister rishi sunak at the g7 summit injapan. russia hits back at a deal to supply ukraine with f—16fighterjets — saying it's fraught with "massive risks" for the west — amid claims from the notorious wagner mercenary group that bakhmut is now under russian control. in northern ireland, the republican political party sinn fein is on track to become the largest party in local government — with calls for the return of local rule in stormont. and energy bills for a typical

household in the uk are expected to fall rom july, according to forecasts — a new price cap for energy prices will be set next week. now on bbc news, europe's royals revealed — royals reborn. washington dc is the heart of the free world. let's go now to capitol hill. i'm katty kay, and in more than 20 years here spent here in the news business, i've grown accustomed to thinking of this as the centre of power. decisions that reverberate around the globe are made here by politicians who proudly championed democracy — the rule of the people, by the people. we are here to assess the real meaning of the results. but it's not the only way or necessarily the best. a recent poll shows that of the 15 most successful democracies, nine are monarchies.

the founding fathers rejected a king, but many europeans feel a royal family is an asset. i'm leaving washington on a royal mission, as the uk has a new king — charles iii. i want to find out how other royal families, many of them king charles�* relations, manage to stay relevant in the 21st century. i'll be mixing in royal circles. how was it? (speaks french). and visiting palaces. you can't walk past that line. then you will shoot me? talking to insiders. that is more my style. do i look like a princess? i can curtsy and talk at the same time. and consulting princes and princesses about life with a crown. your highness. tell me how you would like me to address you. your highness or princess, orjust martha, i don't mind.

and life without a crown. i grew up in exile, i couldn't go in my country. are there lessons for good king charles in the modern game of thrones? so far i have been discussing royals who are living the royal life — hard work, but with benefits. but what about those who have lost their crowns? what do they think about life without a throne? it's time to meet emmanuele philliberto of savoy, prince of venice and his eldest daughter, princess vittoria. at 19, she is a model, a social media star, and theoretically the future queen of italy. but there's a problem. the italian monarchy was abolished in 1947. fascist king victor emmanuel iii had already transfered the crown to his son, umberto ii, in a bid to keep the family in business.

appearing on the balcony of his palace, king umberto ii receives a great ovation from his many supporters. umberto�*s reign lasted just 3a days. the rule of the house of savoy was over, but his grandson keeps the royal flame alive. prince emmanuele takes every opportunity to keep his family name in the public eye. perhaps it's not bad for business either. he's a popular italian media figure, especially on television. italian music plays. the desire for positive publicity might arise from a high—profile family spat. the house of savoy are not

the only contenders for the italian throne. another branch claim princess vittoria's bid is invalid, a disagreement that wasn't helped by a fistfight during the wedding of king felipe of spain. royal families — they're complicated... every year, the italian royal family and their supporters gather at this lakeside abbey where king umberto ii is buried. we are waiting for all the princes to come in. they all come in together, and not in robes, we have been

told they will all be in suits, they are all descendants of king umberto who is buried here. this is surreal. every italian monarchist that ever lived seems to be in this church in full regalia. it looks like a kind of gathering of the clan... you couldn't make it up. there are smells, bells and the disticnt whiff of loss. that began in 1947 when the royals were symbolically exiled from the new italian republic. prayer in latin. all eyes are fixed on the teenager beside prince emmanuele.

this gathering is specifically designed to let the faithful see would be queen vittoria. she is called the pretender to the throne, but they clearly think this is very real. they take it very seriously, and it's notjust the outfits. no, this was a real ceremony, a real official presentation of the crown princess effectively — the woman who will be queen. except there is no throne to be queen of... if you don't have a throne, you don't rule over anything, however much you play—act at it. isn't that all it is? it's a sort of a show?

social media star vittoria is protected from the mainstream media. her agent says she is not interested in being a princess, but she is playing at being one here. your daughter did beautiful today. must be very proud of her, she is wonderful. how was it? speaks french. the savoy branch of the royal family left italy and endured exile in switzerland. prince emmanuele grew up in geneva, consoled by sports cars and fondue parties. this is an extraordinary house.

yes, it's quite a strange house that was built in the 70s by my parents. all the furniture was designed for the house, for example, this bar, which is quite funny. i love the bar! you can close it and play chess with. and then you play chess with that. it has a certain james bond quality. that's fantastic. so what does it mean for you then to be royal, but not have a throne? i grew up in exile, i couldn't go in my country. so, i grew outside italy, looking at italy, because italy is there, so we were really close. you cannot stay in your castle or in your house, looking out the window and say "italy would have been so much better with a monarchy", or "let's wait and see..." no, it will never happen.

today, coming here and saying i want to restore monarchy in italy, or thinking italy could be much better with monarchy, it's nonsense. unfortunately or fortunately that will never happen. there's a lot of people that still believe and likes the family, so this is what i want to do, to make evolve this iooo—year history into the modern world. what i really want is the good of italy. i don't want to go against them or i don't want to say my goal is to restore monarchy. what could the monarchy do better than the government? in italy, don't forget one thing — that the president of the republic is exactly like the king at the time. the only difference is that he is elected. monarchy i think is an institutional figure that represents all the citizens.

the italian royals, and perhaps more importantly their supporters, all those people in that cathedral, clearly believe passionately that they have royalty in their dna — the right stuff to rule. what about countries that don't have a monarchy? could they find somebody with the right stuff to take over a throne? just across the adriatic sea from italy lies the former kingdom of someone who didn't wait to be found. king zog i of albania believe that monarchs weren't born, but were made — self—made. depending on who you ask, zog was a godlike figure or a devil. a saviour or a tyrant.

he was prime minister, then president, then he crowned himself europe's first and only muslim king. but he did not have a drop of royal blood. tirana was zog's capital city, but not for long. from 1946-1991, albania was communist. this was stalin boulevard, a place for parades for the people's republic of albania. and now it is king zog i boulevard, which i think counts as a return to prominence for a monarch who was deposed by mussolini in 1939.

was zog good or bad? did he like zog or not? yes, he liked zog. communist leader hoxha is not a popularfigure. zog's grandson, leka anwar zog reza baudouin msiziwe zogu, hopes to win more hearts. he lives in central tirana, just behind a retail development. i can't quite believe i'm about to meet the grandson of king zog. the crown prince hopes that one day albania's monarchy might return, and knows someone with the right qualities — himself. your royal highness. it's wonderful, and welcome to tirana. thank you so much for having us here. i'm very pleased to be here. i want to check i got the title right.

indeed the title's right, but amongst friends call me leka. and i'm now a friend? indeed. even in a painting, king zog dominates the room, a maverick with a taste for a fight. he survived 55 attempts on his life — the only known monarch to return fire when ambushed. his descendant is not exactly a commoner but not exactly a king either. he lives in a post—soviet limbo, hoping to transition some day. 50 years of communist propaganda has had an impact on the albanian society. living in a country which lost the monarchy, and meeting daily with people who miss their trust and often believe that the monarchy is the only reference of stability. by far the most stable and consistent, democratic countries in the world

are monarchies. if it's japan, the northern european countries — norway, sweden, denmark — the fact that the monarchy is able to endure even the most difficult internal political circumstances is a sign of great stability. i am not sure germany and france would agree with you. i'm not sure germany and france are that stable either. what would change in the country? what would it mean for this relatively new democracy, for this republic to suddenly have a king? we have to understand that in essence, our own existence is a political statement. and at the same time we do not want or allow ourselves to be involved in the internal politics of the country. because we do not want to discourage the support base that we do have.

albania has a very, very strong monarchist viewpoint, there was a lot of support, we are a voice of proactiveness, unlike other royal families, we do make statements on policies and we do make statements through social media, instagram, facebook, twitter and we have to be very careful. thinking about your daughter, geraldine, do you think, could you imagine when she comes of age, and i6, 17 years�* time, that we might live in a world where there are more monarchies? she will be custodian of the crown and in this sense, there will be a number of royalfamilies in europe which will have queens as head of state. the most important foundation is that she cultivates a loving desire to serve the people. tirana is a city on the upp. the smell of new concrete and fresh paint is strong

in the centre. but away from the hubbub, there are relics of the royal past. this villa was built as a palace for king zog. but he never even got to move in. it was begun in the 1930s in the fascist style so popular with fascists, but mussolini kicked zog out before it was even completed. today, it is the official residence of the president, not the prince. a monument to how things change and a wistful reminder of the careful line leka has to tread if princess geraldine is ever to wear a crown. i came to albania thinking this could be the big flashing warning sign for other european monarchies — watch out, because this is what could happen to you if you�*re not careful. but instead, it�*s as if the tolerance of crown prince leka

here, even the welcome he has been given, speaks to some deep need that people have for symbols of history and continuity, even a little glamour. it�*s as if you can rid countries of monarchies but you can�*t rid people of their desire for social hierarchy, of our need to bend the knee at something, even in the unlikely form of a self—appointed deposed king. the british are not about to give up their king. charles began life as a georgian, then became an elizabethan. we will see if his carolean reign makes him more like his continental cousins, more open, less grand, stripped down. a more modern monarchy. back across the pond, it all seems a bit fairy tale.

the hopes and dreams, ways and means of faraway royals mightjust seem eccentric in the american republic. or are they? if tv viewing figures are anything to go by, there is more than a sneaking interest here in the lives of royals. in 1953, 27 million britons tuned in to watch the queen�*s coronation. 85 million americans watched a special recording of it. it had to be flown over because demand was so high. a big royal interview still commands huge audiences in america. so what is the attraction of monarchy in a land that is free of it? his highness prince dimitri of yugoslavia and manhattan is also the great grandson of the last king of italy,

umberto ii. he sits on the branches of many a royalfamily tree. oh, look at this. this is like christmas. so many things here. you have some yummy things. so beautiful. since the �*80s, he has been a go—to jeweller for new york society. there is not a single diamond. it�*s just natural pearls from a 1920 little necklace ihad. his is a rare viewpoint — royal insider and refugee. do i look like a princess? dimitri, you are steeped in royalty. you have various royalfamilies have come into your own person through the years. what does that mean, what does that feel like? because of the name that i have and my ancestry, it is my duty to do good in life. and to treat people nicely, to behave well,

to be an example. to be a role model that�*s what we are. i always say royalty are not celebrities. they are role models and they pay for that and that�*s why people love them. if you are royal, you have to behave like royalty. you are there to serve your people and work hard for them and in exchange, you get to live in a beautiful palace and have all the advantages we know, but also the country has the advantages of having them, which brings a tonne of money to the country. do you think americans find royalty romantic in some way? it implies, you know, history, lineage. you can go back 1,000 years. here, it�*s a country of immigrants. a lot of people don�*t even know who their great—grandpa rents are. and it�*s a new country. i mean, it�*s only 250 years. most countries in europe are 2,000 years old �*cause we go back to the roman empire.

i wonder if there is something about the fact that democracy is messy and, in a way, monarchy, god—given, absolute, there is a simplicity to it that perhaps appeals to people here. maybe people want more monarchy today? the king and the queen in the old days were the father and the motherfigure of the nation. and we all need, in our cultural mind, a mother and a father to whom we can identify and admire and all that, and i think on a collective level, it�*s like that. does monarchy keep us held to the past? is that what monarchy does? well, it keeps the past in us also, all the traditions and the history. dimitri is what majesty is made of. he mightjust be on the radar of a small band of young americans daring to suggest that the united states needs a king or queen.

they might be called punk conservatives, or maga monarchists. these young men suggest the most radical change to the constitution since it was written. to be safe, they need to stay anonymous. as it stands right now, we all have different ideals for what we want, who we want and what type of person we want and, over time, we will start talking with claimants, start talking with royals who are interested. monarchs, as you know, tend to be born. what would you do, how would you get a monarch in america, given that you don�*t have a monarch who has been born there? there�*s been a lot of monarchies that have been founded and someone had to essentially say, "pick someone who would be suitable." i have a very specific person in mind. that would be franz, duke of bavaria. i, myself, i personally would prefer it to be an american. what do you want, john?

someone tied to america that could lead us back, lead us back from the brink. are strong moral characteristics an essential for you ? personal integrity, confidence, strong royal values. really, a model citizen, a model american. i�*m just trying to think how this is going to work. how are you suddenly going to get a monarch on the throne in america today? well, the idea was that our proposal is for the government would be passed through an omnibus constitutional amendment. i think our platform right now says an election among our people first. part of me is listening to this and thinking there might be a kind of knock on your door at some point from the fbi because doesn�*t this all sound a little bit like un—american sedition? i�*m not very particularly worried about it. i guess for the simple fact that i think that this

is going to start off small enough so that i�*ll be dead before it takes off, but... ulysses, how urgent do you think the need is for a king or queen of america? i think we've seen in politics recently, with the rise of certain pulsive personalities like trump, a lot of people want a king, theyjust don't realise it yet. they want to be ruled. this is a long shot, but there have been plenty of long shots in history that have made it. the founding fathers took a long shot, and look what happened. could the monarchists of america be onto something? does the usa really yearn for a king or queen, but doesn�*t know it yet? if there is a desire for a return to monarchy, maybe it�*s simply we want somebody who rises above the messiness of party

politics, and helps unite us. the old school absolutist kind of ruler need not apply. modern america would want someone warm and inclusive — a leka, not a zog. the most successful monarchies are the ones that rule with an open hand. they are not aloof. they show the people that they are approachable, even lovable, and that makes them worth keeping. the desire for monarchy is an emotion but it�*s also an equation, a measure of benefits against cost. america made its calculation and whatever their virtues, i can�*t believe abraham lincoln, who never met one, would ever give a monarch the time of day.

hello there. we�*ve got differing fortunes across the four home nations this weekend. have a look out of the window here in west wales, beautifully sunny, feeling lovely and warm in the sunshine in light winds. move northwards into scotland, much more layered cloud. earlier on that�*s brought some rain, that rain tending to peter out for the most part. the cloud covers scotland and northern ireland and we�*re starting to see something a little bit wetter coming into the far north—west. underneath that cloud, temperatures

are going to be around 16 or 17, could be a touch warmer as it brightens up in the moray firth, but in the sunshine across england and wales, temperatures reaching 20 or 21 in the west, a little cooler around some north sea coasts. i mentioned some rain coming into the north—west and this evening and overnight, it gets a bit wetter for a while in scotland and northern ireland before the rain tends to peter out. could see a bit of mist, fog and low cloud again across eastern areas of england, and with clearer skies in england and wales, temperatures could be as low as four or 5 degrees. let�*s set the scene for sunday and we�*ve got high pressure extending across the uk. that weather front bringing the rain overnight gets stuck in scotland and just peters out. a bit more of an east or north—easterly breeze could drag in some cloud from off the north sea, particularly into the south—east of england. there will be some sunshine around as well. still that cloud for much of scotland and northern ireland, not much rain falling, though by the afternoon and in the far north—west, there could actually be some sunshine. not necessarily going to help the temperatures, mind you. may well be a little

bit cooler in scotland and northern ireland on sunday. still the warm sunshine for england and wales and those temperatures reaching 20 or 21 celsius. into next week, not too much changes really, you�*ve still got the high pressure around on monday. another weakening weather front moves in from the atlantic, bringing very little rain. following that, the odd shower perhaps for western scotland, perhaps northern ireland but on the whole, a lot of dry weather. plenty of sunshine for england and wales, maybe a slightly more northerly breeze on monday but those temperatures changing very little, 17 to 20 celsius. and that weather pattern continues into next week. again, high pressure is never too far away. it�*s going to be in the far north that we could see some weather fronts now and again and a stronger breeze that maybe will bring some rain. but on the whole, a lot of dry weather into next week and those temperatures are near average as well.

fein live from london, this is bbc news. the british veteran presenter phillip schofield says he has agreed to step down from itv�*s this morning "with immediate effect" after more than 20 years. ukraine dominates the g7 summit as president zelensky arrives in hiroshima to meet world leaders. russia warns of massive risks for the west after the us agrees to train ukrainian pilots on american f—16fighterjets. in northern ireland, the republican political party sinn fein is on track to become the largest party in local government — with calls for the return of local rule in stormont. and ireland�*s katie taylor will be hoping for a homecoming later tonight in dublin when she faces england�*s chantelle cameron in a light—welterweight world championship match.