who either have not been vaccinated or where the vaccine has not worked. and some of them will end up in hospital, and sadly some of them will go on to die. all change for the bafta film award nominations — the british film rocks is a surprise frontrunner as diversity leads the way this year. and a rare chunk of the meteor that lit up the skies over europe last week is found in front of a family's home in gloucestershire. and coming up on bbc news: he's said no, but liverpool's jurgen klopp�*s been linked with the now—vacant germanyjob. it's afterjoachim low announced he was stepping down after 15 years. good evening. welcome to the bbc news at six. within the last hour buckingham palace have responded to the duke and duchesses interview with oprah winfrey — in a statement it said that the queen said she was saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been for harry and meghan. it said they will always be a much loved members of the family. it went onto say the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. more than 11 million people in the uk watched the interview last night in which prince harry and meghan during which spoke of a member of the royal family voicing concerns about the colour of their child's skin and complained of a lack of support. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell reports. from buckingham palace this evening, a statement about the sussexes�* tv interview from her majesty the queen. it reads... it amounted to just 61 words. the palace made it clear it would not be commenting further. earlier, while the palace was pondering its response to the interview, the daily business of the royal family continued pretty much as normal. the prince of wales was at a vaccination center in northwest london. all normal, apart from the inevitable question. sir, can i ask, what did you think of the interview? whereupon there was a very sharp exit. the interview has been seen around the world. 11 million tuned in in britain to hear meghan�*s claim to have been suicidal but ignored, and her assertion of a racial slur by a member of the family about her then unborn baby. in those months when i was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born. what? meghan�*s estranged father thomas markle watched the interview on us television. what did he make of his daughter's claims? i don't think the britishj royal family are racist. the thing about what colour will the baby be _ or how dark will the baby be, - i'm guessing and hoping it isjust a dumb question from somebody, you know, it could just _ be that simple. it could be somebody i asked a stupid question. shock waves of harry and meghan�*s explosive interview... but as the interview dominates so much of the news, particularly in america, there are influential voices speaking up for meghan. the fact she did not get more support, that the reaction was, let'sjust paper it over and pretend it did not happen or it will go away, keep your head down. well, you know, this young woman was not about to keep her head down, this is 2021. the story is dominating the media here in britain with sharp criticism from some who say there was a double standard in the way the press reported meghan. you have to draw conclusions from the way meghan was systematically criticised and attacked for things which other white members of the royalfamily could get away with. and so a sharply divided debate continues. was meghan the naive american who never understood the nature of being a british royal, or a huge potential asset who was wasted and wronged by an inflexible institution? nicholas witchell, bbc news. nicholas joins nicholasjoins me now. we only got the statement in the last half an hour, what do you make of it? it’s hour, what do you make of it? it's short, 61 hour, what do you make of it? it�*s short, 61 words but it hits all the essential points when you consider the options the palace must have considered, from a more gentle response to what more challenging hard—line one, it is at the softer end, it's reaching out to them, it is empathetic, the family is saddened to learn how challenging the last few years have been but at the last few years have been but at the same time it is gently challenging, they pushed back softly with the phrase, while some recollections may vary, and you can be sure they vary in the palace but they are not actually trading word for word. they are not actually trading word forword. it they are not actually trading word for word. it acknowledges the significance of the issues, they are concerning and will be taken seriously and will be addressed by the family privately and that's important to them. the family now want to take this away and deal with it as a family group. there is much hurt and anguish on both sides, as we can see, this is a family which is revenue, father and son, brother and brother, and they will help that this will now subside and that they have the opportunity and the time in the space to sort this out themselves.— the space to sort this out themselves. . ~ .. ., ~ , ., themselves. nick rachel, thank you. as nick was — themselves. nick rachel, thank you. as nick was saying, _ themselves. nick rachel, thank you. as nick was saying, opinion - themselves. nick rachel, thank you. as nick was saying, opinion remains| as nick was saying, opinion remains divided after last night's interview. our home editor, mark easton, looks at how damaging the couple's revelations are to the royal family. one year ago today the queen attended a commonwealth day service attended a commonwealth day service at westminster abbey, harry and meghan�*s last royal engagement. it's inspiring to be reminded of the diversity of the people who make up our worldwide family, the queen said, speaking as head of the commonwealth that day. such a blend of traditions serves to make a stronger individually and collectively. but as the royals gathered in the abbey there were hints of tensions and troubles to come. overthe hints of tensions and troubles to come. over the course of 70 years the queen has guided the monarchy from and part two black lives matter, in the 21st—century she represents a uniting figurehead for people of all cultures and accusations of racism at the heart of the royal family could represent an existential threat for this institution. iii an existential threat for this institution.— an existential threat for this institution. , ., ., ., institution. if you look at social media you _ institution. if you look at social media you see _ institution. if you look at social media you see young _ institution. if you look at social i media you see young influencers institution. if you look at social - media you see young influencers and young thinkers saying what is this institution, why does it exist? they question things i have not seen them question things i have not seen them question before, this is an anachronism in this day and age and notjust on the races of race, we are seeing young black people having that conversation but also quite people. that conversation but also quite --eole. ., , ., people. the thrown passes to king edward the — people. the thrown passes to king edward the eight's _ people. the thrown passes to king edward the eight's younger - people. the thrown passes to king | edward the eight's younger brother. today's— edward the eight's younger brother. today's crisis contains echoes of the abdication crisis in 1936 went king edward gave up the throne to marry wallis simpson, like meghan and american divorcee who felt shunned by the royalfamily. the death of princess diana in 1997 also saw the royals accused of failing to support a young woman they had invited into their gilded change, seemingly unable to understand public anger at her loss. now the royal pr department is again firefighting accusations of a brand out of touch with contemporary values. it out of touch with contemporary values. , , , ., , out of touch with contemporary values. , , , ., values. it represents not 'ust a s mbol values. it represents not 'ust a symbol of i values. it represents not 'ust a symbol of historic * values. it represents notjust a symbol of historic oppression i values. it represents notjust a i symbol of historic oppression but values. it represents notjust a - symbol of historic oppression but as we see _ symbol of historic oppression but as we see with harry and meghan matt, the continued residue of the racism that made — the continued residue of the racism that made british empire. a the continued residue of the racism that made british empire.— that made british empire. a new you~ov that made british empire. a new yougov poll— that made british empire. a new yougov poll suggest _ that made british empire. a new yougov poll suggest a _ that made british empire. a new. yougov poll suggest a generational divide, four times as many 18 to 2a—year—olds thought harry and meghan had been treated unfairly by the royal family compared to the over—65s. it represents a looming challenge for the monarchy. while harry and meghan praised the queen in the interview, charles was represented as distant. repairing the reputational damage will require a response that stretches across not just ethnicities but generations. two of the government's top scientists have warned of the dangers of lifting coronavirus restrictions too quickly saying that the situation could turn very bad very quickly if lockdown is eased too fast. professor chris whitty told mps that all the modelling suggests there is going to be a further surge in coronavirus infections in the late summer or autumn and many vulnerable people still aren't protected. here's our health editor, hugh pym. the vaccination programme rolls on. those aged between 56 and 59 in england now getting their invitations, people in derby queueing, and happy to be there to get theirjabs. it's a relief because i thought i would have to wait quite a while, but i got the letter yesterday and i am booked in today, which is quite good. been waiting quite a long time, but the sooner the better for me. government advisers say the vaccination plan is going very well, but they warn that while people will get some protection against serious illness, the virus won't go away. in fact, it will probably spread faster as lockdown is eased. all the modelling suggests there will be a further surge and that will find the people who have not been vaccinated or the vaccine has not worked, and some of them will end up in hospital and some of them, sadly, will go on to die, and that is a reality. schools in england have opened up this week. at this primary in norwich there was even a mini circus to welcome children back and reassure them. officials say they need up to five weeks to see how the reopening affects the spread of the virus. when parents meet, people may go into work and as a result that changes a number of things, all of which might have pressure on transmission. lockdown easing in england continues provisionally from march the 29th with some outdoor meetings and sports allowed. from april 12th, nonessential retail, outdoor hospitality and some leisure facilities are set to reopen. from may the 17th, some indoor meetings and hospitality will be allowed, and june the 21st will be the earliest possible date for a full reopening. the government advisers say it cannot go any quicker. what the government has been told over and again is to take it steady, and what we don't want to do is accelerate into trouble and then have to reverse straight back out again, open things up and immediately close things down. from friday in scotland, up to four people will be able to meet outdoors and some adult sports will resume. the first minister said they were heading in the right direction but it was too soon to take the foot off the break. if we continue to prioritise children's education, as i believe we should and must, our scope to make further changes will be limited while we are still rolling out the vaccine. case numbers may be falling, but are still relatively high. the message from ministers and officials around the uk is that the grounds for hope must be balanced by caution. hugh pym, bbc news. the latest daily data on coronavirus shows 5,766 new infections recorded in the latest 24—hour period, which means that on average the number of new cases reported per day in the last week is 5,800. across the uk at the number of people in hospital with coronavirus is 9418. 231 deaths were reported — that's people who died within 28 days of a positive covid—19 test. on average, 190 people have died every day in the last week from coronavirus. the total number of deaths so far across the uk is 124,797. and now to the vaccination programme — around 215,000 people have had their first dose of a covid vaccine in the latest 24—hour period. that takes the overall number of people who've had their firstjab to more than 22.5 million people. and over1 million people have now had both doses of the vaccine. at the end ofjanuary more than 4000 people were on ventilators in hospitals across the uk. that number has fallen dramatically in the past few weeks — tojust over 1300. our medical editor fergus walsh has returned to the intensive care unit at university college hospital in london to talk to staff and patients. some viewers may find some of the images in his report distressing. this is the reality of covid intensive care for patients like louis christou. he's been on a ventilator since christmas. it may not look it but he is improving. louis, who's 70, is gradually being weaned off a machine. he has a tube into his windpipe, his body learning to breathe again. a retired mechanic, his wife and family are waiting anxiously at home. no longer fully sedated, louis is sometimes aware of his surroundings. louis, it's elaine here, one of the nurses. as patients emerge from unconsciousness, they need reassurance. you getting there. don't worry. louis' family agreed to us filming in order to highlight the continuing dangers of covid. they hope he will be home with them soon. compared to the peak injanuary, covid icu numbers here are down 80%. it means wards can be converted back to their normal function. until two days ago this was where the last of our covid patients were. after a year of battling covid, staff at university college hospital are apprehensive about the future. you won't see nurses and doctors booking holidays and booking pub gardens in april because they believe that, they're scared that this would happen again and they don't want to have to do this again. the average age of covid patients in intensive care is 60 but many are much younger, another reason why medical teams are so cautious and keen for all of us to stick to the rules. the patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s that are coming to icu have still not been able to have their vaccine and i think until we can make sure that all the population is vaccinated, we still need to be careful. little by little the pressure here is easing but for many covid patients, surviving intensive care is just the start of a long journey of recovery. one, two, three. and holding on to the frame. perfect. rodney woods, who's 58, spent over a month on a ventilator. he lost so much muscle, he's having to learn to stand and walk again. yeah, it's going well. a minister at a central london church, he hopes to be home in time for easter and looks forward to tasting food again. i've had the feeding tube now for over two months because i couldn't swallow. i'd just forgotten how. so i've had to relearn how to swallow. i'm now relearning how to stand and how to walk and it's really, it's literally, you're kind of rebuilding your life. milen, who's in his 405, is another icu survivor who's just starting to rebuild his life. even as patient numbers gradually fall, covid will continue to cast a long shadow. fergus walsh, bbc news. our health editor hugh pym is here. let's talk about the warning from government scientists about another surge, may be at the end of the summer or in the autumn, despite the vaccination programme. how worried should people be?— should people be? sophie, this is not a warning _ should people be? sophie, this is not a warning of— should people be? sophie, this is not a warning of a _ should people be? sophie, this is not a warning of a sudden, - should people be? sophie, this is not a warning of a sudden, new i not a warning of a sudden, new unexpected surge it simply same with lockdown restrictions eased around the uk, people will mix more and therefore the virus will spread more, but those who have been vaccinated will at least have a degree of protection. but another point that came out today from these advisers was that all adults should have had a first dose by the end of july but that means the completion with the second dose won't have happened until october so there is scope for the virus to spread in late summer and get to some people who don't have full protection or to others who have not been vaccinated at all and another message today was to politicians, those calling for speeding up the easing of lockdown restrictions. that cannot happen in the view of the advisors. you have to wait five weeks between each step, certainly in england, to assess the impact of what has happened. assess the impact of what has happened-— assess the impact of what has ha ened. , ., ~ i. the time is 6:20pm. our top story this evening: the queen says she is saddened to learn how how challenging the last few years have been for prince harry and mghan. i few years have been for prince harry and mghan-— and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a — and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a piece _ and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a piece of _ and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a piece of coal— and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a piece of coal at - and mghan. i wondered if somebody had thrown a piece of coal at the - had thrown a piece of coal at the house. we'll meet the family who quickly figured out the black rocks on their drive were much rarer than they first appeared to be. coming up on sportsday on bbc news: his headerfor scotland at wembley in 1977 was iconic, but the daughter of former manchester united player gordon mcqueen says she's convinced heading the ball caused herfather to develop dementia. a year ago bafta was criticised for a lack of diversity when it unveiled the nominations for its film awards with an all—white cast of acting nominees and no female film directors. this year, it's all change. 16 of the 24 acting nominees have a black, asian or minority ethnic background. four women who directed films have also been nominated. the american drama, nomadland, and rocks — a film about an abandoned teenager — lead the way, as our arts editor will gompertz reports. nomadland jointly leads bafta's 2021 shortlist, its most multicultural ever with seven nominations including one for the director, chloe zhao, and a leading actress nod for francis mcdormand. hello, coffee? she is a big star. another nominee for leading actress, is not yet. hers was an eye—catching performance in rocks, a beautifully observed film about growing up in east london which also sees kosar ali nominated shortlisted for best supporting actress and nominations for both its director and screenwriters. were you expecting that? no! we are bowled over, i can't believe it. were we expecting it, teresa no, we were hopeful. i think we are at a time when people are beginning to wake up to different stories which thank god, they have always been there and it always been worth telling. we can only toil at th