BBC set for ‘huge problem’ renewing Royal Charter if Prince William ‘doesn’t trust' broadcaster
The prince hit out at the BBC a few years backThe BBC could have a big “problem” when Prince William becomes king, according to a royal author.
The Prince of Wales, 43, reportedly “doesn’t trust” the broadcaster after the Panorama debacle back in 1995.
What is the BBC’s Royal Charter?
2027 will see the BBC hope that the Royal Charter gets renewed.
According to the BBC, the Royal Charter “is the constitutional basis for the BBC. It sets out the BBC’s Object, Mission, and Public Purposes. The Charter also outlines the Corporation’s governance and regulatory arrangements, including the role and composition of the BBC Board.”
The charter guarantees the BBC’s independence, sets its public mission to inform, educate, and entertain. It also outlines how it is governed by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom.
It is renewed every 10 years. The most recent royal charter commenced in 2017 and is set to end in 2027.
The Royal Charter is granted by the monarch on the advice of the Privy Council.
However, according to one royal author, there is no guarantee that the BBC will have its royal charter renewed when Prince William eventually becomes king.
The Prince of Wales has criticised the broadcaster in the past over how the Diana Panorama interview came about.
Prince William allegedly ‘doesn’t trust’ BBC
In 2021, an independent inquiry into how the Princess Diana interview with Panorama came about found that the interviewer, Martin Bashir, had acted in a “deceitful” manner and falsified documents to obtain his interview.
William released a statement after the findings were revealed. “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said,” he said.
“The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others,” he then continued.
“It brings me indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia, and isolation that I remember from those final years with her. But what saddens me most is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.
“She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by the leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough question.”
He added that the interview should never be aired again.
BBC may have ‘huge problem’ when William is king
Speaking to the Daily Mail recently, royal author Andy Webb claimed the controversy still “deeply affects” Prince William.
“The wound we’re talking about is the vast uncertainty about whether his mother’s life had to follow the course it did or, had the BBC management done something different, it would have followed an entirely different course,” he said.
“I make this reference in the book, but it’s too ironic for words that the BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Well, if the future King issuing the Royal Charter doesn’t trust Britain’s public broadcaster, there’s a big problem,” he then added.
“William is now 43 years of age – or seven years older than his mother was when she died. His eldest son is 12. William was 13 when he watched this infamous interview go out on television. So, it’s getting into your head that this really matters; it matters to some living, breathing human beings,” he then said.
Royal Insider has contacted Kensington Palace, the BBC and Buckingham Palace for comment.
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