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Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
BBC admits lapse over discussion of Prince Harry interview
The BBC has admitted to a 'lapse' in its editorial standards for failing to reflect the views of Buckingham Palace and the government when it discussed its Prince Harry interview on the Today programme. The issue arose in the Saturday edition of the flagship Radio 4 programme, which aired the day after the Duke of Sussex had told the corporation in a television interview that he was the victim of a 'a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up'. The claims were repeated during the interview with Richard Aitch, a former close protection officer, but were not 'properly challenged' by the presenter. 'I think Prince Harry has nailed it … it is an establishment stitch-up. It's clear that the entire process had been caught up in emotion and appears to be nothing other than spite from the royal household,' Aitch said. 'It's retributive justice for Megxit, not any balanced, formalised approach to assessment of threats and risks.' On its corrections and clarifications website, the BBC admitted that it was remiss in not including the government's view in its report. 'This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement,' it said. It also noted that Today had failed to reflect Buckingham Palace's response. In his interview with the BBC Harry addressed losing his final appeal to maintain his right to taxpayer-funded police security when he is in the UK. The Home Office said: 'We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the government's position in this case. The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.' Harry also appeared to blame both the King and the former Conservative government for stripping him of his police protection. 'There is a lot of control and ability in my father's hands,' he said. 'Ultimately, this whole thing could be resolved through him. Not necessarily by intervening, but by stepping aside, allowing the experts to do what is necessary.' In a statement responding to the interview a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ''All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' Aitch, who now works in the private security sector, reiterated the comments he made during his interview. 'There should not be any need [for the BBC] to apologise for opinion-based interviews,' he posted on X. 'Absence of a threat and risk assessment on Prince Harry, where the focus is on legal process influenced by the recommendations of a committee that is not independent, defines 'stitch-up'.'
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
BBC acknowledges editorial lapse over failure to challenge Prince Harry 'stitch-up' claims
The BBC has admitted that they failed to properly challenge Prince Harry during his recent interview where he claimed to be the victim of a 'good old fashioned establishment stitch up' Following the coverage of a BBC News interview with the Duke of Sussex on May 2, the BBC has admitted to a lapse in its 'usual high editorial standards'. Prince Harry spoke to the broadcaster after losing a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while he visited the UK. He then went on to describe the defeat as an "establishment stitch-up." The following day, BBC Radio 4's Today programme reported on the interview, explaining that the Duke described the court defeat as a "good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up." During an interview with close protection expert Richard Aitch on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the BBC stated that the Duke's "stitch-up" claims were simply "repeated." Now, the BBC has admitted that this fell short of their usual editorial standards, the Mirror reports. The BBC said on its Corrections and Clarifications website, that they: "failed to properly challenge this and other allegations." "This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement." The broadcaster also added that the programme "should have given the view of Buckingham Palace", and "this was a lapse in our usual high editorial standards". As the Home Office said: "We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the Government's position in this case." "The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security." A Buckingham Palace spokesperson spoke in response to the failed legal challenge, saying: "All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion." In the Today interview, Richard Aitch said he was "shocked but not surprised" by the ruling. The director of operations at security services company Mobius International, went on to state that "provision of protection should not be based on legal argument" but rather by an assessment of the "risk and threat against Harry," before agreeing that it had been a "stitch-up." Mr Aitch then took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say: "There should not be any need to apologise @BBCNews for opinion based interviews." "Absence of a threat and risk assessment on Prince Harry where the focus is on legal process influenced by the recommendations of a committee that is not independent, it defines 'stitch up'." During this bombshell interview, Prince Harry had expressed his desire for "reconciliation" with his family. As well as claiming that his father, King Charles, is no longer speaking with him due to the security issues. Prince Harry said: "He won't speak to me because of this security stuff." Before adding that it was "impossible" to bring his family - Meghan Markle, and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet - "back to the UK safely."
News.com.au
06-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
BBC admits ‘lapse in standards' over coverage of explosive Harry interview
IN LONDON The BBC has admitted to having had a 'lapse in standards' over its coverage of Prince Harry's interview regarding his security arrangements. The broadcaster issued a statement in the wake of the bombshell half-hour conversation with the Duke of Sussex, which was filmed on Friday in Montecito, just hours after he lost his appeal to overturn the decision to remove his UK police security detail. During the interview, Harry blamed the decision on an 'establishment stitch-up' – a claim which was subsequently reiterated during an interview with former close protection officer Richard Aitch on the BBC's flagship current affairs program, Radio 4, the following day. 'The program covered the latest developments in the story of Prince Harry and his legal case around protection for him and his family in the UK and interviewed former close protection officer Richard Aitch to get a broader understanding of security considerations,' a statement on the BBC's website stated afterwards. 'Claims were repeated that the process had been 'an establishment stitch-up' and we failed to properly challenge this and other allegations.' The BBC added: 'This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement. We also should have given the view of Buckingham Palace. 'This was a lapse in our usual high editorial standards.' The UK Home Office had released a statement in the wake of the court's decision last week, which said it was 'pleased' with the outcome. 'We are pleased that the Court has found in favour of the Government's position in this case. 'The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate,' it read. 'It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.' Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace released its own statement, which said: 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' In his interview on Friday, Harry told the BBC that the court ruling had left him in a position where he 'can't see a world' in which he'd bring Meghan or their two children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 3, 'back to the UK at this point'. He added that 'there have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family', but insisted that he'd 'forgiven' them and wanted 'reconciliation'. 'There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious,' Harry said, explaining that the security issue had 'always been the sticking point'. The US-based duke also admitted he was 'devastated' by the legal outcome. 'I'm devastated – not so much as devastated with the loss that I am about the people behind the decision, feeling as though this is okay. Is it a win for them?' Harry asked. 'I'm sure there are some people out there, probably most likely the people that wish me harm, [who] consider this a huge win.'
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- The Guardian
BBC admits lapse in standards around coverage of Prince Harry interview
The BBC has admitted to 'a lapse in our usual high editorial standards' over its coverage on Radio 4's Today programme of the broadcaster's recent interview with the Duke of Sussex. The admission came after it failed to include responses from the Home Office and Buckingham Palace to allegations made by the duke. Prince Harry gave an interview to BBC News on Friday in response to the court of appeal's dismissal of his case over security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK. On Saturday, the Today programme covered the duke's interview in which he described his court defeat as a 'good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up'. The programme also had an interview with the close protection expert Richard Aitch, where Harry's 'stitch-up' claims were 'repeated', the BBC said. On its Corrections and Clarifications website, the BBC said on Tuesday: 'The programme covered the latest developments in the story of Prince Harry and his legal case around protection for him and his family in the UK and interviewed former close protection officer Richard Aitch to get a broader understanding of security considerations. 'Claims were repeated that the process had been 'an establishment stitch-up' and we failed to properly challenge this and other allegations. This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement,' it said. The BBC then included the Home Office statement: 'We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the government's position in this case. The UK government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our longstanding policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security.' The broadcaster said it should also have given the view of Buckingham Palace. The palace statement after Friday's ruling read: 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' The BBC added: 'This was a lapse in our usual high editorial standards.' During the Today interview, Aitch, who is the director of operations at security services company Mobius International, said he 'was shocked but certainly not surprised' at the judgment. He claimed that the 'provision of protection should not be based on legal argument', but on assessment of 'risk and threat against Harry' and agreed that it had been a 'stitch-up'. Posting on X after the BBC clarification, Aitch said: 'There should not be any need to apologise BBC News for opinion-based interviews. Absence of a threat and risk assessment on Prince Harry where the focus is on legal process influenced by the recommendations of a committee that is not independent, it defines 'stitch up'.'
Edinburgh Live
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
BBC forced to issue apology over bombshell Prince Harry interview
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The BBC has issued an apology for failing to "properly challenge" claims made by Prince Harry during his explosive interview with BBC News on May 2, which were later discussed on Radio 4's Today programme on May 3. The corporation acknowledged that it failed to sufficiently challenge the Duke of Sussex's assertion that the removal of his UK security was "an establishment stitch-up". Furthermore, the BBC admitted that it should have included responses from both the Home Office and Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry's interview with BBC News followed his unsuccessful legal appeal to reinstate his UK security, during which he criticised his father, King Charles, for not resolving the issue. (Image: BBC) The next morning, Today discussed the interview with former close protection officer Richard Aitch, but only presented his perspective on the events, reports the Express. The BBC addressed this error on their website's "Corrections and Clarifications" section. They wrote: "The programme explored the latest developments in Prince Harry's story and his legal case regarding protection for him and his family in the UK, featuring an interview with Richard Aitch to gain a deeper understanding of security considerations. "Claims were repeated that the process had been 'an establishment stitch-up' and we failed to properly challenge this and other allegations. This case is ultimately the responsibility of the Home Office and we should have reflected their statement." (Image: (Image: Getty)) The programme included a statement from the Home Office that was initially left out. It said: "We are pleased that the Court has found in favour of the Government's position in this case. The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. "It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements, as doing so could compromise their integrity and affect individuals' security." The show's team went on to admit their oversight in not seeking Buckingham Palace's input. The statement added: "We also should have given the view of Buckingham Palace: 'All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.' "This was a lapse in our usual high editorial standards." During his time on camera with Nada Tawfik, Harry, a 40 year old father of two, shared: "I have had it described to me, once people knew about the facts, that this is a good old-fashioned establishment stitch-up, and that is what it feels like."
