THE King has been condemned after the ex-head of Sky News said UK TV channels agreed to let Buckingham Palace censor coverage of the coronation.
John Ryley, who stepped down in May after 17 years, said the monarchy imposed “extraordinary restrictions” on channels covering this year’s coronation, including the “Orwellian” right to retrospectively ban footage after it was broadcast.
Speaking at the Steve Hewlett Memorial Lecture, Ryley read from an agreement between the Palace and broadcasters marked “private and confidential”.
He said: “The royal spin doctors had the opportunity to censor any pictures from the coronation before they could be replayed on the day.
“And the royal spin doctors dictated which clips of the footage could be shown in future broadcasts in what they called with an Orwellian phrase: ‘a perpetuity edit’.”
In light of the comments, campaign group Republic has said it will be writing to all national broadcasters.
The group’s CEO Graham Smith (below) said: “The coronation was a publicly funded state occasion. It is shameful that the palace adopts Trumpian methods to manage their image and control the message at taxpayers’ expense.
“It is disgraceful but unsurprising the monarchy behaves in this way. But the broadcasters also need to explain themselves. Why do they collude with our head of state and his press office?
“There needs to be an open, honest review of the relationship between media and monarchy. And we need to see a 180 degree shift so that the BBC and others challenge and hold to account the royals just as they’re expected to with politicians.”
Elsewhere, Ryley told the audience in London he felt the royals regularly escaped proper media scrutiny.
He said he regretted that Sky News made the “bad decision” to provide Charles with a full list of questions before an interview with him in 2017.
“If a viewer had interrogated us about whether that was entirely in keeping with our core values of being honest with our audiences it would have been hard to mount a robust defence”, he said.
“Imagine submitting a list of questions to a top politician or business leader. Maybe in a puppet state.”
He later explained how Buckingham Palace reacts when journalists try to ask questions directly to members of the royal family.
Ryley explained: “You already know – perhaps you don’t – that spin doctors at the royal palaces freak out when a broadcast journalist doorsteps a member of the royal family.
“Haughty emails, phone calls, and even a summons for a head of news to a meeting can swiftly follow. I’ve experienced this treatment.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when approached by The National.
