Annoyed after issuing a BBC documentary examining journalists’ relationship with Prince William and his brother Henry, the British royal family went out of its usual discretion and issued a statement strongly criticized by the UK press, which it accused of “presenting as fact” exaggerated and unfounded “claims from anonymous sources”.
The realization of documentary “The princes and the press”, which consists of two chapters, He irritated the monarchy because, according to some media, he was not asked to participate. The royal family, even, would have threatened to stop working on future projects of the public entity.
This Monday, in the broadcast of the first part of the program, the BBC included a joint statement on behalf of the entire royal family, defending that a “Free, responsible and open press is of vital importance for a healthy democracy.”
“However,” says the statement from the palaces of Buckingham, Clarence House and Kensington, residences of Queen Elizabeth II, her son Charles and her grandson William, “Too often, unfounded and exaggerated claims from anonymous sources are presented as fact and it is disappointing that someone, including the BBC, gives them credibility. “
The press and Prince Henry
Prince Enrique, 37, sixth in the line of succession, repeatedly denounced the media pressure. In fact, he presented her as the main reason for his withdrawal from the monarchy, effective since April 2020.
Together with his wife Meghan, Enrique filed several lawsuits against the tabloid press in your country. They are currently awaiting an appeal ruling against the Mail on Sunday, which the Duchess of Sussex accuses of having violated her privacy by publishing a personal letter written to her father in 2018.
In the BBC documentary “Princes and the Press,” a private investigator, Gavin Burrows, claimed that the media of the 2000s had “no morals” and were “ruthless”, especially with Prince Henry, which generated greater interest in the public than his older brother.
During the show, Burrows himself apologized for hacking into the phone of his then-girlfriend and selling the information to News of the World. “As two editors explained to me, Enrique had become the new Diana”, The private investigator said, referring to the mother of the two princes, who died in a 1997 car accident in Paris while being chased by the paparazzi.
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