Too Many Royals during Take That Performance
Outraged Palace officials have complained to the BBC over the Concert for Diana broadcast for turning Prince William’s love life into a soap opera.
Senior courtiers went ‘ballistic’ at BBC staff during a debrief of the six-hour live coverage. They believe they turned a celebration of Princess Diana’s life into a mockery-focusing too much on Wills’ rekindled romance.
Prince William’s private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton has complained about the amount of cutaway shots of the army officer and Kate Middleton, both 25. They were particularly angered when they focused on her when Take That sang Back For Good towards the end of the show-referring to the Prince’s on-off romance.
One senior royal source said: “The Palace are hopping mad over this, they won’t let the BBC get the better of them when it comes to the boys personal lives.”
They accuse the broadcaster of turning William’s romance with Kate into a state occasion instead of focusing on what would have been Diana’s 46th birthday.
It’s a new row between the royals and the corporation after the Queen was wrongly shown storming out of a photoshoot with US artist Annie Leibovitz.
A BBC spokesman said there had been a “post concert discussion” but insisted the organisation’s relationship with Clarence House remains positive. The latest war of words has reached senior management level who organise special events at the BBC.
The Palace also raised concerns about Prince Harry, 22, cavorting with his girlfriend Chelsy Davy, 21, in the front row of the Royal Box.
The dispute centres on the use of an ‘isolated camera’ the BBC which was focused solely on Princes William and Harry.
And a Palace source said they have now ordered some footage of the boys and their girlfriends to be cut from the DVD release of the concert to be released later this year.
A royal source said: “Relations between the BBC and the Palace have reached an all-time low now.
“The fury ranges from the Queen at the top to Princes William and Harry’s staff. They are furious they turned the concert into a soap opera rather than focusing on the celebration of their mother’s life on what should have been her 46th birthday.
“There was an unnatural amount of focus on William and Harry and their friends, they made Harry look buffoonish. The BBC shouldn’t have focused on Kate Middleton at all. The couple aren’t engaged and she has no official status. The coverage was disgraceful.”
A spokesperson for Clarence House said: “Any minor issues have now been resolved.” (via News of the World)
July 31st, 2007 00:49
I don’t think anyone is upset about the cameras showing William & Kate. The concert was about love, the love of Diana and what she loved which was her children and her work. The cameras just showed how Diana taught her children to love as well. Harry was there with his love and so was William.
July 31st, 2007 03:17
I don’t think the broadcast went overboard with shots of the royals. I’m probably a tad biased however..
And you just knew that they were going to have shots of William and Kate during Take That’s “I Want You Back” song!