Prince Harry interview coverage on Radio 4's Today leaves BBC forced to apologise

The BBC has issued a statement apologising for failing to "properly challenge" allegations made by Prince Harry in his bombshell interview with BBC News on Friday May 2 when they followed up on his claims on Radio 4’s Today on Saturday May 3. They admitted the show did not interrogate the Duke of Sussex’s claim that removing his UK security was “an establishment stitch-up” and said they should have included right of reply from both the Home Office and Buckingham Palace.

Prince Harry sat down for an interview with BBC News after losing a legal appeal to reinstate his UK security. In the chat he criticised his father King Charles, for failing to resolve the issue. The following morning Today discussed the interview with former close protection officer Richard Aitch, which is where the issue arose when they only gave his take on events. Writing on the "Corrections and Clarifications" section of their website they addressed the faux pas.

"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," they wrote.

They included the Home Office statement they had omitted from the show which 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.”

They continued acknowledging they had also failed to give Buckingham Palace the rght to reply.

"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," they conceded as the concluded the statement.

During the interview, which was conducted by Nada Tawfik, 40-year-old father-of-two Harry said: "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.”