Spontaneous channel change
According to the Harry documentary: Prince William and Duchess Kate punish the BBC
Prince William and Duchess Kate dropped the BBC on short notice
© Scott Garfitt // Picture Alliance
Then somewhere else: After the dispute with the BBC over a royal documentary, Prince William and Duchess Kate are said to have placed their planned Christmas charity program on a competing broadcaster.
There is more and more cracking between the BBC and the British royal family: Now Prince William and Duchess Kate are said to have even punished the public broadcaster. As the newspaper “The Sun” reports, a charity Christmas program originally planned for the BBC with the duke couple is now on the private broadcaster ITV. The background to this is the dispute over the BBC documentary “The Princes and the Press”, which deals with William and his brother Prince Harry and their split relationship with the British media.
On Monday evening, the BBC broadcast the first part of the documentary, including the biographer of Harry and Meghan and accused the royal family of having played negative reports about Meghan to the press. The palace reacted unusually sharply, stating in a joint statement by Charles, William and the Queen that the BBC was presenting “exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims” as facts. The Royals are “disappointed” about it. There had previously been rumors of a future boycott after the royal family had not received a preview of the documentary.
Brand new format: Duchess Kate moderates the TV spectacle
Now William and Kate apparently take the first step and change channels. This is a godsend for the private competitor ITV, because the charity program is a rarity. The Christmas concert is to take place in Westminster Abbey and will be moderated personally by Duchess Kate. William – and maybe even the couple’s children, it is hoped – will be there live. “It’s a brand new format, the Royals have never put on a TV concert. And that the Duchess is hosting it is a big deal,” a TV insider told the “Sun”. It looks like the Royals will work with ITV more often in the future.
The relationship between the British royals and the BBC has long been considered tense. It wasn’t until May that the station officially apologized after an investigation found that Princess Diana had been lied to by a BBC reporter. That was the only reason she had agreed to the scandal interview in 1995. And there’s more trouble ahead: The second part of the documentary will be broadcast next week. It should be explicitly about the conflict-ridden years 2018 to 2021, in which Prince William and Prince Harry finally fell out. Buckingham Palace is certainly not amused.