“Overblown and unfounded claims”: Royal Family denounces new BBC documentary
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The royal family has denounced the new BBC documentary ‘The Princes and the Press’, which aired its first episode in the UK earlier this week.
The BBC program explored where royal stories came from and how the narrative around Harry and Meghan’s rift with the royal family became public. Photo from Getty Images via Glamour.
The Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William released a joint statement, calling out the “overblown and unfounded claims” about a rift between Prince William and Prince Harry, which they deemed made on the program “disappointing”.
The statement from Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Kensington Palace, which was shown on screen following the hour-long documentary, said: “A free, responsible and open press is of vital importance to a healthy democracy.”
“However, too often it is overblown and unfounded claims from unnamed sources that are presented as facts, and it is disappointing when anyone, including the BBC, gives them credibility.”
According to author Omid Scobie, some of the negative stories about the Sussexes came from other royal households.
“There has been a lot of rumours for some time that a lot of the most damaging and negative stories about Harry and Meghan, that have ended up in the pages of the press, have come from the other royal households or from other royal aides or courtiers," alleged the author, as featured on the BBC documentary’s first episode.
“From my own experience that is true.”
However, former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt disputed that, saying: “That did not happen the chunk of the time I was with the royal family.”
“You have to assume that they would have only done it if they had the approval of their principle (royal family member).”
Recent reports also stated that the royal family had lawyers prepared to challenge the BBC in the courts over the new documentary, collectively going against the UK’s media regulator Ofcom, reportedly for the first time.
The BBC allegedly refused to show the royal family the two-part documentary, which is being presented by the BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan.
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