British television networks were unable to air footage from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral due to a veto from Buckingham Palace, underscoring the fraught relationship between the media and the monarchy.
As part of an agreement with news broadcasters, the royal household was given the authority to ask that particular footage from the funeral services at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle not be used again.
Members of the royal staff sent emails to the BBC, ITV News, and Sky News during the event requesting that footages be deleted from upcoming newscasts and social media posts. Five short videos featuring members of the royal family were removed from the media as a result.
The decision to grant the palace a veto over what footage could be used, despite the sections’ relative briefness, has unnerved some of the journalists who worked on the coverage.
This occurs amid persistent tensions within British media organisations over how best to honour the memory of a notable national figure who has passed away while allowing the royal family to sway news coverage.
The palace provided rules on what footage and images would be seen as appropriate, according to the Guardian, with a special plea to avoid interfering with the grieving of certain members of the royal family. Other videos, such as one showing a man lunging toward the Queen’s coffin as it was in Westminster Hall, were also not used by the media.
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