| Diana, The BBC & A Battle With The Palace |
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| Written by Joanne Leyland | ||||
| Sunday, 29 January 2006 | ||||
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In late 1995, Buckingham Palace released a statement which, in hindsight, shouldn't have been wholly unexpected: the production of the Queen's annual Christmas broadcast would no
longer be the exclusive preserve of the BBC but would, instead, be
shared from 1997 onwards with the Corporation's arch rivals ITV. At the time, many observers loudly proclaimed this was the Royal Family's retribution against "Auntie" because of their betrayal of the Royal Family with the November 20th broadcast of the Princess of Wales' bombshell Panorama interview. According to an excellent exclusive in this weekend's Sunday Telegraph, high-ranking BBC bosses were amongst the majority who wouldn't disagree with the somewhat cynical interpretation that the Palace 'sacked' the BBC because of the interview. Memos from BBC bosses, released under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal the depth of bitterness within Broadcasting House at the Palace's decision, and reveal that debate about the move was still ongoing over 15 months after the original Panorama broadcast. A January 1997 memo from Head of Events Philip Gilbert to Will Wyatt, Chief Executive of BBC Broadcasts, reads: "It is widely perceived that the BBC is in
effect being penalised because of the Princess of Wales' Panorama
interview and thus we do not give up our responsibility for the
broadcast voluntarily, but have to a degree been 'sacked'. Buckingham
Palace claimed that they wish to test the market and 'see what ideas
ITV can bring to the Queen's speech'.
While the reality is that only cosmetic change can be achieved in the broadcast, be it produced by the BBC or ITV, the ITV coverage this year will be watched with great professional interest, and indeed ITV and more specifically ITN will wish to make capital out of their new position. ITV never having undertaken this project before may wish to formally or informally seek BBC help or advice. I believe we should politely resist this at all cost...I have no wish to be churlish or professionally unhelpful to ITN, albeit a competitor. However, given the particular circumstances in which the BBC finds itself over the matter of the Christmas broadcast, it would seem inappropriate to get involved in the ITN operation of the next two years in any way." Over a month later (10th February 1997) the BBC was continuing to battle the Palace. Philip Gilbert wrote to a colleague: "Discussions with Buckingham Palace made
it clear that if another broadcaster undertook the project they would
carry a responsibility for all aspects of both production and
distribution of the Queen's Christmas message. While we have no wish to
be obstructive, it would be unreasonable for the BBC to be expected to
assist ITV given the broader circumstances."
At this point, it's likely the Palace was yet again (in royal parlance) 'not amused' with the BBC as, in February 1997, the Corporation broadcast an exclusive programme made with the complicit help of Diana, who played the unlikely role of narrator.  The half-hour documentary Diary of A Princess followed the now ex-Princess of Wales as she visited Angola. The tour was marred by controversy, with senior Conservative Government officials speaking out against what they deemed a rather too politically motivated visit, this being the tour where Diana made vocal her wish to see the world eradicated of landmines. In his reply to the note of 10th February, another BBC executive made clear that the strained relationship between the Corporation and the Palace was ongoing, writing: "We have no
wish or intention to be involved with the Queen's Christmas broadcast
and will not be providing resources to ITV." Interestingly, the Sunday Telegraph claims the BBC even considered not carrying the Queen's speech on BBC World in 1997. Almost ten years later, the Queen's 2005 Christmas Day broadcast was, according to several visitors to The Royalist, not broadcast by BBC America. By the way, for all of you who may have wondered why the BBC has never fully capitalised on their exclusive interview with Diana by releasing it as a boxed video or DVD: just days before the original broadcast, bosses at BBC Worldwide Enterprises — understandably excited executives by the idea of earning many millions with the royal exclusive — were reportedly floating the idea of producing a special video of the interview, to be released in time to capitalise from the Christmas market. However, just three hours after saying a video would be released, BBC bosses were reportedly forced to backtrack when one hurdle became apparent. It was said at the time that the copyright of the forthcoming TV interview would belong not to the BBC but to someone else...none other than Diana herself. If true, it was a move the Princess — far more astute than she is often credited — almost always stipulated when she did an exclusive deal with a media organisation. After all, her many critics both inside and outside the royal Court would make capital out of any move which saw Diana, thanks to her royal status, being used for monetary gain. Two days before the broadcast, a friend of the Princess was quoted as saying: "She {Diana} feels it would be undignified if this interview, which she has a burning belief will invalidate royal fears about its content, is used to recoup pots of money for the BBC." Considering what was ultimately broadcast, you have to wonder whether the 'friend' really did have insider knowledge as surely nobody could claim (at least with a straight face) that the Panorama broadcast did "invalidate royal fears"?! If the story about Diana retaining copyright of the Panorama interview is true (and I, personally, haven't heard any more about it in the intervening years), one has to wonder who owns the copyright today? Surely it is the BBC? If copyright did now belong to William and Harry, would the Princes (or should I say Clarence House/the Palace?) really have allowed the recent BBC repeat of the interview which caused such scandal and personal pain? After all, we have to remember that nobody regretted the Panorama interview more than the woman who welcomed the TV camera crew into her home. Please feel welcome to offer your opinions on this and any other royal story by visiting our Royal Forum or via our Comments section below. Comment on this article
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