[Bluecortina]

No, because they’d rather the announcement was done carefully, accurately and calmly, without favouring any one news organisation. A relatively short embargo allows for this. It’s a well established practice and even today works fairly well. The alternative would be worse.

It’s not about them giving time for broadcasters to be live outside Buckingham Palace. There was just about enough time for them to do that yesterday, but if there hadn't been they’d have just done that a bit later.

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It does a bit, but given broadcasters and others had the video a little while in advance I was surprised no actual details leaked.

As you say it's a well established system that relies on maturity and trust. I was told the news (and content) at 1715 but I didn't blab about it on the internet.