British queen most amused when pageantry goes wrong

LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II dutifully sits through endless hours of displays of military pomp rehearsed to the second - and secretly loves it when everything goes wrong, Britain's pageant master said on Saturday.

Major Sir Michael Parker, who has spent 46 years producing grand events, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper that the sovereign is most amused when showpiece spectacles descend into calamity.

Mr Parker, 71, has produced more than 320 events including the 80th, 90th and 100th birthday celebrations for the monarch's late mother, Queen Elizabeth, plus victory in Europe and victory over Japan anniversary celebrations.

Mr Parker recalled the 1977 Silver Jubilee beacon-lighting in Windsor Great Park, west of London, which was his first national spectacular.