BBC changes policy on royal/high profile deaths

The BBC has downgraded five senior members of the Royal Family by ordering that their deaths should no longer trigger an automatic interruption of normal broadcasts.
Prince Harry, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew and Edward and the Countess of Wessex had formerly belonged to a special BBC list known as Category 2, which has now been abolished.
The list meant a specific ‘obituary procedure’ would be followed when they died, including news flashes and the broadcasting of pre-prepared documentaries

But now they are in a category known as ‘other notables’, which also includes Muhammad Ali, Lech Walesa and Bob Dylan. Their deaths will be regarded as ‘major breaking news stories with coverage on merit’.
The new protocol has been drawn up by a group of senior BBC executives, including deputy director general Mark Byford.
The details, seen by The Mail on Sunday, have been sent to all senior BBC news staff, editors, producers and reporters.
Also demoted are Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and the President of the United States Barack Obama, who had previously been in Category 2.

Now they are on the same list as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope, the Dalai Lama, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Nick Clegg, Sir John Major and Mikhail Gorbachev.
The elite Category 1 remains unchanged. This consists of only the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Prince William.
If they die there will be ‘the immediate interruption of BBC1, BBC2 and the BBC News Channel’, with an ‘official announcement – normally via a Buckingham Palace statement’.
Neither the BBC nor Buckingham Palace would comment on the changes.

Also demoted are Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Leader of the Opposition David Cameron and the President of the United States Barack Obama, who had previously been in Category 2.

That's strange, they interrupted BBC One for MJ death but wouldn't do it for high profile leaders of countries???

Did they? Which programmes were interrupted?

With regards to the PM etc the key phrase for me is: "major breaking news stories with coverage on merit". Nothing stopping interruptions on BBC1 - indeed surely if Gordon Brown or Barack Obama died right now most people would expect an announcement and breaking news coverage on BBC1?

All these changes appear to do is remove the need to interupt BBC2, Local Radio etc for all but the most senior members of the Royal Family. And it would seem quite odd to me anyway interrupting Radio Humberside to announce the death of the American President ...

IIRC, it was only a news report.