A two-part BBC documentary series about the sons of Prince Charles and Princess Diana is causing a stir in the UK. The royals are even considering a boycott.
London – Once again this year, a dispute sparked between the BBC and the British royal family. The trigger this time is the two-part documentary series “The Princes and the Press”, the first part of which was broadcast on November 22, 2021 on BBC2. In it, the television journalist Amol Rajan for the British public service broadcaster discusses the relationship between the sons of the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and his ex-wife, Princess Diana, who died in an accident, to one another and to the press.
In keeping with the topic, the public broadcaster broke one of the most important rules in dealing with the royal family in Great Britain with the production, which is that the royals get to see everything they talk about in advance. That this did not happen, drew a joint statement by Queen Elizabeth II, her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William, in which it is said that they were disappointed with the BBC’s handling of sources and information.
No approval from the royal family: British royals describe the BBC’s approach as “disappointing”
It is generally accepted that the BBC and the Royal House work together peacefully hand in hand, that the members of the royal family are regularly involved in statements and interviews and provide insights into the work of the royal charity campaigns – and theirs before the broadcast Give approval. The fact that this did not happen this time could even lead to a boycott of the station, reports the British newspaper The Daily Mail, which, in addition to the official statement by the royal family, also refers to insider contacts.
In a statement from the palace it was said: “A free, responsible and open press is of particular importance for a functioning democracy.” Nevertheless, it happens again and again that things are “inflated” and “unfounded accusations from anonymous sources are presented as facts” . The fact that the media, including the BBC believed these sources, described the Royals as “disappointing”.
Part two of the BBC documentary about the British royal family with explosive information
The second part, which will be broadcast next Monday (29.11.2021) and included in the broadcaster’s media library, could be of great importance in the decision of the royal family on a possible boycott. Rajan focuses on the years 2018 to 2021, i.e. the time when Prince Harry and wife Duchess Meghan turned their backs on life at court and emigrated to the USA, as the announcement says.
As the Daily Mail reports, it could also be rumors that in the run-up to this decision, negative press was deliberately initiated by the press officers of both brothers. According to the daily newspaper, similar information was also contained in a documentation from the spring that would have been changed shortly before it was broadcast to reflect the royals.
Documentary about the British royal family: context for the relationship between the princes and the media
The first part of the documentary, which was shown on British television on Monday (November 22nd, 2021), was about the role of the brothers in a new generation of the royal family, around the months before the wedding of Prince William and Duchess Katherine. “The film provides context for the prince’s relationship with the media and addresses how some newspapers also resorted to illegal measures in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” says the program announcement. (ska)
