King Charles Heads to Belfast Ahead of Queen's Final Journey

[kadioguy]

a. King Charles Heads to Belfast Ahead of Queen's Final Journey
[Source]

b. LIVE: The Queen is Making Her Final Journey as Charles III Proclaimed King Across UK
[Source]
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1. Why is the first in the present simple while the second is in the present progressive? What is the difference in meaning between them?

2. Could their aspects be switched?
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[Updated]

Can this fit into my questions? That is, (a) is a quicker action while (b) is longer.

[From the Practical English Usage 3rd]

In commentaries, [...] The simple present is used for the quicker actions and events (which are finished before the sentences that describe them); the present progressive is used for longer actions and situations.

 

[probus]

The first uses headline English, which often bends the rules of style and grammar. The present continuous would work as well or better.

As a footnote, I was astonished to learn that the royal family has a Youtube channel. I must be a dinosaur.

 

[Skrej]

Kadioguy, I'm pretty sure that it's been suggested before that you stop looking for grammatical reason and logic in news headlines.

As probus just mentioned again - headlines don't follow the conventions of correct English grammar. In fact, they're often not even complete sentences. Notice how they capitalize nearly every word - something you don't do in regular sentences. It's a stylistic convention, not grammatical.

The point is to relay basic information in as little a space as possible. Trying to analyze headlines for grammar is not only an exercise in frustration, but will offer no valuable information or learning points, in my opinion. Just accept them as what they're intended to be - information chopped into as brief a summary as possible for immediate digestion.

 

[kadioguy]

[...]
The point is to relay basic information in as little as space as possible.

Thank you. And I think there is a unnecessary "as".

[Edit: changed "one" to "a".]

 

[probus]

The second "as" was probably just a typo for "a". I have fixed it now.