The BBC apologises for publishing an image of Prince Harry from a neo-Nazi website

The BBC has apologised for publishing an image of Prince Harry from a neo-Nazi site which branded him a “race traitor”.

The BBC has issued an apology to the Duke of Sussex for publishing a confronting image of him from a neo-Nazi social media group without warning.

After the news outlet published and broadcast an image depicting the royal with a gun pointed to his head, with text calling him a “race traitor”, a complaint was lodged amid safety concerns by the royal family.

A spokesperson for the Duke toldThe Guardianit raised “serious security concerns” for Prince Harry and “caused his family great distress specifically while his wife was nearly five months pregnant”.

The image published by the BBC raised “serious security concerns” for Prince Harry, a spokesperson said. Photo: AFP.

The image was posted on a far-right platform, and included blood splatter and a swastika over a collage of the Duke. It was captioned: “See ya later race traitor. #racetraitor.”

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The BBC initially rejected the complaint, as did broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, stating that the use of the image in a report about the concerning activities of the group was wholly in the public interest.

But the BBC has now apologised for failing to warn the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before the report in December last year.

The Corporation said it recognised that it should have considered the impact of publishing “seriously offensive material”.

“We need to be vigilant in balancing the impact on individuals against the wider good which may be served by publication,” a statement said.

Harry’s spokesperson said he “welcomed the apology letter”. Picture: AFP.

In a letter to Harry, the BBC also said it was working to strengthen its guidance on the use of potentially offensive content relating to the individual involved.

Harry’s spokesperson explained: “His Royal Highness welcomes the letter from the BBC relating to the shocking image published by BBC News last year as part of a report on the activities of a British neo-Nazi group with links in the US.

“His Royal Highness raised the issue with Ofcom about the rebroadcasting of this racist image due to his concerns that hateful and dangerous propaganda had been spread globally by the world’s most important public service broadcaster. Due to the credibility of the BBC, their choice to publicise this material created an open door for all other media to reproduce it.”

The statement maintained that Harry did not agree with the decision to publish the image in the first place.