On the eve of Queen Elizabeth's fifth visit to the U.S., relations between the British royal family and London's tabloid press were showing signs of strain, as this week's cover story, written by Contributor John Skow, attests. By contrast, the British monarchy has enjoyed a favorable press in the U.S. ever since 1860, when Prince Edward, Queen Victoria's eldest son, visited the nation that had repudiated his family's rule. Edward's great-granddaughter Elizabeth and great-great-grandson Charles seem to have inherited his ability to evoke the admiration of Americans. Those with immediate experience of that talent include London Bureau Chief Bonnie Angelo, who reported on the meticulous preparations for the latest royal trip. She covered the Queen's second visit to the U.S., in 1957. "Following her," Angelo recalls, "I gained lasting respect for her never-wilt stamina and serenity. Thirteen years later, I reported the first visit of Prince Charles and Princess Anne to Washington. I could see in Charles the same skill in putting the awestruck at ease."

Correspondent Mary Cronin did her first serious royal-watching 20 months ago, when she covered the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. It was elegant theater, and Cronin's four years as TIME'S New York-based Show Business correspondent qualified her to appreciate the performance. Later that year she followed the young royal couple's first official tour, to Wales. Says Cronin of that road show: "It gave me a hint of the energy and persistence one needs to gather information on a royal family preserving the aura of the kings and queens of old." For this week's cover, Cronin learned even more about perseverance by watching the watchers of the royals. "The Fleet Street reporters and photographers are a breed unto themselves," she reports, "devilishly competitive, clever and professional. The chase and the 'hit' [scoop] get their blood up." Cronin, who journeyed from Buckingham Palace to Acapulco last week in pursuit of the royal family, finds her fellow reporters' zeal, if not their perfervid imaginations, infectious. Says she: "I felt myself wanting a fast car with a two-way radio so that I could join the global game of royal-watching, careening over icy alpine roads, slithering through steaming jungles, hiring helicopters and speedboats to find my elusive royal prey." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.