BBC has written to Prince Harry to apologize for not warning him that they were going to use an offensive image of him that was created by an alleged neo-Nazi.
The Daily Mail reported that the racist image was used in December, showing the prince with a gun to his head, being labeled a “race traitor” for marrying Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry complained to Ofcom (the British Office of Communications), which rejected his objection. It was decided that the BBC was justified in using the photo because it was used by various media sources to shed light on the alleged online behavior of extremist groups.
The BBC wrote a letter to Prince Harry, and while they defended using the image, they say they regret using it on television without warning the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in advance.
Nineteen-year-old Michal Szewczuk was named as the person behind the image. He was detained in June and charged with encouraging terrorism.
According to a BBC source, the use of the image was to show what negative images were out in public.
“The image of the Duke of Sussex was included to show the abhorrent nature of their behavior and Ofcom has subsequently concluded that there was a clear editorial rationale for using the image which, in the context of the news report, was considered unlikely to incite crime. Naturally we regret the distress caused and we apologized for failing to warn Kensington Palace in advance that it was to be published.”
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Szewczuk was sentenced alongside Oskar Dunn-Zoczorowski, 18, who also reportedly belonged to the neo-Nazi hate group known as Sonnenkrieg Division. The group describes itself as the third generation of a group called National Action, which is a known terrorist organization.
Prince Harry complained that sharing the image spread it even more than it had been already. He added that it also upset Duchess Meghan, who was pregnant at the time.
An internal review at the network determined that they approve of the use of the image, but believe that the Duke of Sussex should have been warned. A palace spokesperson explained that while Prince Harry appreciated the letter, he believes that the image could have been described without using it again.
According to The Inquisitr , dealing with racism and racist attacks has been a pattern for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who have dealt with the issue since the start of their relationship. During their courtship, it got so bad that Prince Harry released a statement through the Palace asking for respectful treatment of his significant other.