MEGHAN Markle has complained to the BBC about their star journalist’s reporting after her legal win over a national newspaper.
The Duchess of Sussex hit out at Amol Rajan, presenter of documentary The Princes and the Press, after he said she apologised for “misleading” the court.
It followed her lengthy battle with the Mail on Sunday after the paper published extracts of a private letter Meg had sent to her estranged dad.
During the case, it emerged that she had sent emails to her former communications secretary Jason Knauf in which they discussed briefing the authors of sympathetic Sussex biography Finding Freedom.
The duchess apologised for failing to tell the court about the messages – and said she’d simply forgotten the discussions had taken place.
But after Rajan said she’d been sorry for “misleading” the court, legal reps for the Sussexes contacted the BBC.
The broadcaster has now issued a correction.
It comes just six weeks after Rajan himself issued a grovelling apology for “rude” and “immature” comments about Prince Philip, Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Controversy over BBC doc:
- The royal households issued a joint statement in November saying they had no chance to respond to ‘overblown’ programme The Princes and the Press
- The doc alleged William and his staff briefed the media against Meghan and Harry
- Omid Scobie said the royals wanted to ‘put the duchess in her place’
- Meg was represented on the show by a lawyer – the only one of the royals to have someone speak on their behalf
- After it aired, presenter Amol Rajan apologised for comments made about the Cambridges and Prince Philip in 2012
- Now the BBC has apologised after Meghan complained about wording used in by Rajan in a podcast linked to the programme
Writing in The Independent back in 2012, the self-confessed republican reportedly used one of his columns to describe the Duke of Edinburgh as a “racist buffoon”.
In another, he described Wills’ and Kate’s public role as “a total fraud” in an open letter to the couple.
In a podcast linked to the controversial doc, Rajan had said: “Initially, Meghan Markle had said she hadn’t helped Scobie with the book.
“She apologised for misleading the court on this.”
A clarification issued by the BBC today said: “The Duchess of Sussex has asked us to clarify that she apologised to the court for not remembering email exchanges with her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, in her evidence, and said that she had no intention to mislead the court.”
Last month the Court of Appeal upheld the decision by a High Court judge that Meghan “had a reasonable expectation of privacy” when she wrote father Thomas the letter.
The decision came despite five alleged contradictions in her claims.
Read our Meghan and Harry live blog for the latest updates
The Mail has since accepted defeat and will not seek to appeal.
Meanwhile, back in November the royal households issued a joint statement criticising The Princes and the Press for its “overblown and unfounded claims”.
The royals say they weren’t allowed to watch a screening of the two-part programme in advance, and had no opportunity to properly address the claims.
Allegations were aired that William and his staff briefed the media against Meghan and Harry.
Finding Freedom author Omid Scobie claimed “negative stories” had been leaked about the duchess to “put her in her place”.
No evidence was provided and he wasn’t challenged on the allegation by Rajan.
BBC’S CORRECTION
Meghan was the only royal represented in the programme.
She arranged for her lawyer to answer questions on her behalf.
It raises the possibility she knew what the doc would say in advance.
Jenny Afia, of firm Schillings, denied claims the duchess bullied royal staff and said there were “massive inaccuracies” in the story.
The Duke of Cambridge is said to be deeply upset at the suggestion he briefed against his brother and sister-in-law.
He has reportedly banned his aides from ever briefing against family members after seeing the devastating impact of his parents’ media war first-hand.
Harry himself first raised the subject of his mental health in a 2019 TV interview, saying he was experiencing issues that needed “constant management”.
At the time, it was only reported that his older brother was “concerned” for his wellbeing.
Sources say any claims of a planted story are “categorically untrue”.
