On March 22nd, Kensington Palace released the Princess of Wales’s video, where she announced that doctors had found cancer after her abdominal surgery and she was undergoing chemotherapy. The video was carried everywhere, on television and online. Several American channels carried the video live as it was released, and obviously it was major news across the board in the UK. Apparently, people took issue with the BBC coverage of Kate’s announcement and the BBC’s seemingly wall-to-wall coverage thereafter. Similar to the deaths of QEII and Prince Philip, the BBC went way overboard and there were complaints. The Daily Mail says that the Beeb received “more than 100 complaints,” which honestly sounds like a pretty low number? In any case, the BBC issued a statement:

The BBC has received more than 100 complaints over its ‘excessive and insensitive’ coverage of Kate’s cancer diagnosis, it has emerged. The Princess of Wales announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer in an emotional video on March 22. The BBC aired the full video and has hit back at criticism saying it was ‘mindful’ of its reporting approach, and did not speculate on details that had not been made public.

In a statement responding to the complaints, the corporation said: ‘We broadcast in full the highly personal video message from the Princess of Wales, in which she spoke directly to the public about her cancer diagnosis. Our coverage reflected the significance of this story and the outpouring of support for the princess from around the globe. We explained to our audience what was known about Catherine’s condition, but did not speculate on details that had not been made public.’

The corporation detailed its reporting approach and said it always gives ‘careful consideration’ to the editorial decisions made.

The statement continued: ‘Our reporting made clear that this is a difficult time for the princess and the rest of the Royal Family; we have been mindful at all times to approach our coverage with sensitivity.’

‘As part of our analysis, we examined the intense speculation there had been in the preceding weeks about the princess’s health. We also reported on Catherine’s request for privacy and detailed the statement from Kensington Palace regarding the princess having the right to privacy in relation to her medical issues. We always give careful consideration to the editorial decisions we make. While we have a responsibility to report on stories that are of interest to our audience, we appreciate that not everyone would have approved of the approach we took.’

[From The Daily Mail]

“As part of our analysis, we examined the intense speculation there had been in the preceding weeks about the princess’s health.” Ah, I guess that was the reason for the complaints. Honestly, though, I’m on the BBC’s side in this limited issue – they were contextualizing the reason why Kate’s video was so significant and why it was such a global headline. It’s because Kate had been missing for months and Kensington Palace had been caught lying and manipulating photos as proof-of-life for a missing princess. The “where is Kate” controversy was WHY Kensington Palace had to release the cancer-announcement video. Of course, that doesn’t explain why KP had been lying for weeks beforehand, even promising that Kate would be resurrected for Easter Sunday. If anything, the BBC needs to investigate more and call out the lies even further. They won’t though. Especially since they’re still being so squirrelly about how the cancer-announcement video was made.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace.

Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, Patron of The Forward Trust talks with visitors at HMP High Down in Sutton, England, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, during a visit to learn about how the charity is supporting those in the criminal justice system to manage and recover from their addictions.,Image: 804839504, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: POOL, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung / Avalon Sittingbourne, Kent, UK, 27 September 2023: HRH The Princess of Wales joins a family portage session at the Orchards Centre, Multi Agency Service Hub in Sittingbourne, Kent to highlight the importance of supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families. The session is ran by the Kent Portage Team. ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***,Image: 808854205, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Paul Grover / Avalon
CARDIFF, WALES – OCTOBER 03: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales visit Fitzalan High School as they celebrate the beginning of Black History Month on October 03, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush, The Prince and Princess meet teachers and pupils working across a number of projects at the school, including the gardening project which aims to encourage young pupils to learn how to grow plants and food from scratch.,Image: 810534986, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 11: Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks to students and staff during a visit to Nottingham Trent University to learn about their mental health support system on October 11, 2023 in Nottingham, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales are carrying out engagements across the UK to mark World Mental Health Day and to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, particularly in young people.,Image: 812878211, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 11: Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks to students and staff during a visit to Nottingham Trent University to learn about their mental health support system on October 11, 2023 in Nottingham, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales are carrying out engagements across the UK to mark World Mental Health Day and to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, particularly in young people.,Image: 812878347, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
London, UK, 01 November 2023: The Princess of Wales takes part in a Dad Walk in the local park during a visit to “Dadvengers”, a community for dads and their children, in Arnos Grove, north London, to highlight the important role that dads play in their children’s earliest years as part of her Shaping Us campaign on early childhood. Dadvengers is predominately an online community which works to support dads on their journey through parenthood. It has a strong focus on mental wellbeing and supports new fathers in a variety of ways including through online training programmes, podcasts, and more recently the in-person Dad Walks.,Image: 818765193, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: ***NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS***, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Yui Mok / Avalon

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