The BBC has apologised to the Duke of Sussex for failing to warn him before broadcasting and publishing an image from a neo-Nazi group that depicted him with a gun to his head and labelled him a 'race traitor'. The image, which included a swastika and blood splatter, was used in a BBC News report in December last year about the far-right Sonnenkrieg Division.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry said the image raised 'serious security concerns' and caused 'great distress' to his family, particularly as his wife Meghan was nearly five months pregnant at the time. The duke complained to both the BBC and Ofcom, arguing that the publication fell below acceptable standards and was not sufficiently justified.
The BBC and Ofcom rejected the complaint, ruling that the use of the image was in the public interest as it illustrated the group's offensive messages. However, the BBC has now apologised for not warning the Sussexes before broadcast and online publication, and said it would strengthen its guidance on using content that risks offending individuals portrayed.
Prince Harry welcomed the apology but maintained that the image should have been described rather than reproduced, to avoid giving a platform to hateful propaganda. The BBC later reduced the size of the image online and removed it two days later, citing reduced public interest.
The creator of the image, Michal Szewczuk, 19, was sentenced to four years and three months in a young offender institution for encouraging terrorism and possessing terrorist material. Another individual, Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, 18, received an 18-month detention and training order.
