Leibowitz: 'The Queen and I did not fall out in BBC 'tantrum' film'

In an interview she described how the Queen had arrived complaining about her heavy formal robes.

"She entered the room at a surprisingly fast pace...and muttered: 'Why am I wearing these heavy robes in the middle of the day?'

"She doesn't really want to get dressed up any more. She just couldn't be bothered and I admired her for that."

Ms Leibowitz's comments in the June issue of Vanity Fair make it clear that the angry footage of the Queen was before she was asked to remove her tiara, not after as the BBC footage suggested.

The BBC bosses face questions over why they waited almost 24 hours to apologise for lying about the Queen.

The corporation has admitted it "misrepresented" what happened in an encounter between the Queen and photographer Annie Leibovitz at Buckingham Palace.

The Queen was apparently shown storming out during a photo shoot when in fact she had been walking to the shoot and the footage had been spliced together out of sequence.

It has revealed that the apology at midday yesterday came long after the BBC was told by Buckingham Palace that it had got it wrong.

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Royal sources say the BBC was told of the error shortly after 3.30pm on Wednesday and was asked to clarify the situation.

BBC1 controller Peter Fincham, who first told the lie, admitted the corporation was in contact with Buckingham Palace on Wednesday evening. However, it did not admit the mistake until after it had gained worldwide publicity for its documentary about a year in the Queen's life.

Mr Fincham said: "When we did know that, we were immediately in touch with the Palace. We talked to the Palace that night and in the morning and as soon as possible we put out an apology."

He offered no explanation for why the corporation felt midday was the earliest time it could apologise.

Mr Fincham's position is now said to be "in peril" by BBC insiders but he said today he would not be resigning. He had told a preview screening that viewers would see the Queen "walking out in a huff", describing it as "a memorable bit".

Mr Fincham said: "Of course somebody should have said 'Is this what happened in the scene? Is this a fair reflection of what happened on that day?' But that's what slipped through the net here and we were the first to acknowledge that was a mistake and that is why we apologised for it."

The BBC Trust has told directorgeneral Mark Thompson to give an explanation to the chairman and trustees at a meeting next week.

In the footage, the Queen walks into a room, cluttered with camera equipment, wearing her crown and Order of the Garter robes.

Ms Leibovitz says: "I think it will look better without the crown because the garter robe is so..."

The Queen replies: "Less dressy? What do you think this is?" pointing to what she is wearing.

The trailer then cuts to the Queen apparently walking off with an official.

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The BBC blamed production company RDF Media for supplying an early tape of footage which was then shown by mistake.

The statement said: "Peter Fincham showed the sequence in good faith without any knowledge that the error had been made."

Yesterday BBC executives wrote to senior staff telling them to own up to any instances in which audiences had been misled since January 2005.