Incredibly awkward Prince William birthday blunder triggered shock resignation
A mix-up over official photographs to mark a landmark celebration for the Prince of Wales led to recriminations, clarifications and one longstanding royal employee's departure
The Prince of Wales is celebrating his 43rd birthday today, five months after his wife Princess Kate turned the same age. And let's hope the occasion is less dramatic than back in 2000, when Prince William's 18th celebrations were said to have prompted a longstanding royal employee to resign.
Releasing official photographs to such a special occasion for the heir to the throne should have been straightforward. Instead, a row over copyright photos saw King Charles ' press secretary Sandy Henney reportedly fall on her sword after seven years at the helm.
Sandy had overseen an incredibly difficult time for Charles, who had separated and then gotten divorced from Princess Diana before she tragically died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
But while she had dealt with the storm of 'Camillagate' and the then Princess of Wales ' infamous Panorama interview with aplomb, William's 18th birthday celebrations were said to have proved to be her downfall.
READ MORE: Prince William's billionaire pal took haunting final photo moments before bee sting death
At the time the Prince of Wales turned 18, Buckingham Palace had a longstanding agreement with the British media not to invade William or Harry's privacy during their education. So when Sandy reportedly gave newspaper Daily Telegraph and TV network ITN exclusive access to the prince for images to mark his landmark birthday, other news outlets were not happy.
As BBC deputy director Richard Sambrock put it: "As news organisations, we agreed to suspend competition for the sake of protecting Prince William 's interests at a sensitive time. Anything that departs from the agreed principle that all news outlets should have common access or lack of access to Prince William is completely unacceptable."
The exclusive photos also caused an argument over copyright, for while the law automatically grants photographers copyright of their own work, Buckingham Palace would traditionally own the copyright on official photographs released in this manner, with proceeds going to charity.
Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore said he was "appalled" at the treatment of his photographer, who went onto make a goodwill gesture. "I was offered the opportunity to take exclusive pictures of Prince William at Eton, which I was honoured to accept," said The Telegraph's man Ian Jones.
"The law conferred copyright to me and no suggestion has been made until today that I should donate it to the Crown. Now the suggestion has been made, I shall gladly assign the copyright as the Prince of Wales may direct."
In an attempt to clarify matters, St James' Palace had said in a statement: "It is a matter of deep regret that confusion has arisen over the photographs commissioned to mark Prince William's 18th birthday. The copyright of these pictures should have been established at the time they were taken to ensure that St James' Palace owned the copyright and that any proceeds arising from the use of the photographs went to charity as had normally happened in the past.
"The issue was not resolved and the copyright is now wrongly vested elsewhere. The Prince of Wales hopes that, in the light of the clear and consistent policy, no one should profit form pictures, either of Prince William or Prince Harry, and that those who do own the copyright will make clear that all proceeds will go to charity.
"To do otherwise would be to undermine the work of the Palace, the press and the Press Complaints Commission have all vested in the protection of Prince William and Prince Harry's privacy." By the time the celebrations had died down, Sandy Henney had resigned from her post.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
42 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘Very strange' – Nick Kyrgios lets slip who BBC have replaced him with for Wimbledon and immediately fires dig at him
NICK KYRGIOS has revealed that world No108 Christopher Eubanks will replace him on the BBC's Wimbledon coverage this year. Kyrgios, 30, worked for the Beeb during last year's Championships, providing a fresh voice and perspective alongside usual suspects John McEnroe and Tim Henman. 5 5 Despite generally going down well with viewers, Kyrgios has not been signed up by the BBC for this year's tournament. The Aussie is set to miss his third Wimbledon in a row, having struggled with persistent knee and wrist injuries. Kyrgios' last match at the All-England Club was the 2022 final, in which he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Eubanks' best run at Wimbledon came in the following year, when he stunned the likes of Cameron Norrie and Stefanos Tsitsipas before losing in five sets to Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals. On not being selected by the Beeb this year, Kyrgios told The Guardian: "It's unfortunate but it's probably their loss more than mine. "I understand they've got Chris Eubanks but he hasn't beaten the greatest of all time multiple times. "When someone's beaten Federer, Nadal, Murray and Djokovic and has incredible insights, it's very strange you wouldn't want that person adding knowledge to tennis fans." In addition to working for the BBC at Wimbledon, Kyrgios has also appeared on Tennis Channel's coverage of the sport in the United States. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 5 5 American Eubanks, meanwhile, has been juggling his playing career with plenty of punditry. The former world No29 has also worked on Tennis Channel, as well as ESPN and most recently TNT Sports during Roland Garros. Nick Kyrgios breaks silence on split with ex-girlfriend Costeen Hatzi as Wimbledon finalist reveals new look Kyrgios has not shut the door on working for the BBC again in future. The former Australian Open men's doubles champion said: "I'm sure our paths will cross again. I only ever want to add humour, some knowledge and some great atmosphere." Due to injuries, Kyrgios has played just six singles matches since October 2022. The crowd entertainer last played in Miami in March, losing to Karen Khachanov in the second round. Despite his uncertain status, having since pulled out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Kyrgios is determined to resume playing during the US hard court swing, culminating in a first appearance at Flushing Meadows in three years. He added: "Yes, for sure. I'm definitely playing the US swing and I'll take it one day at a time." 5
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Rod Liddle on his radio comeback: Somehow I'm still on air
Everyone thought it was going to be trouble and would end in tears. Right at the start I rang Trevor Phillips and said: Times Radio has given me a show, on a Saturday, between 10am and 1pm, would you like to be my guest? Trevor is about as close to a friend as I have in this desperate trade of perpetual scribbling and jabbering. There was a hoot of laughter down the line. 'They've given you a show? Has anyone told Ofcom? Yes, I'll be your guest. Put me on an early one before it's taken off air.' I had not really imagined going back into radio at this stage of life. I endured a decade at the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, five of them as editor. There was always an agreement that radio would be absolutely brilliant if it wasn't for the presenters and the listeners. Both of these groups carped all the time and were impossible to deal with. Becoming a presenter, then, was a kind of betrayal. But the prospect held such allure. I had grown very tired of the BBC's monocultural output, its perpetual and predictable consensus, even if I still respected a lot of the people who worked there. Here was a chance to make a programme which would be, I thought, 'refreshingly different', which would 'break the mould'. And as I was a convert to Times Radio already, it was very hard to resist. I would be taking over the slot previously occupied by the brilliant Hugo Rifkind, and therefore a tricky act to follow. I was introduced to the producer, Danny Garlick. He appraised me with slightly narrowed eyes. How would you like to change the show, he asked. 'I'd like it to be refreshingly different, and to break the mould,' I replied. How exactly? 'I'd like it to be a little more, um … you know … fascisty.' I was joking, largely. But I did see it as an opportunity to approach the daily round of news stories from different angles, left and right. That old divide has become almost meaningless today. Politics does not know where it is; it has become lost. Reform urging nationalisation and the Labour prime minister conjuring echoes of Enoch Powell? This isn't just a shifting of the Overton window, it's a screen door being flung open. And yet too often the broadcasters follow the same old patterns which simply don't hold any more. The first couple of shows were terrifying, of course. Three hours to get through without losing the script, saying 'holy f***' or having a heart attack. I used to edit the Saturday edition of Today, a two-hour show which was put together by three or four producers the previous day plus an overnight team of three or four producers, not to mention input from a forward planning team. Here I had the services of the aforementioned Danny for one and a half days each week. But God, he's good. The most flawless producer I have encountered and generous of spirit, too. When, two weeks ago, I inadvertently deleted the entire three hours of script from the computer so that it could not be retrieved, 15 minutes before we were due to start the show, he performed a kind of technological miracle and we made it to air. Nor did he, when I told him what I had done, call me an abject little tit, which is what I would have done. And then some. What I really wanted from the programme was thought and depth from the political interviews, rather than the splenetic harrying of politicians you get elsewhere. We were the only broadcasters to secure an interview with the only British politician invited to Donald Trump's inauguration, the Labour peer Lord Glasman. We have had long-form political interviews with Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage and even longer interviews with the BBC chairman, Samir Shah, Richard Dawkins and the Labour recusant Rosie Duffield. But alongside this stuff there's also been a chance to share a joke with the audience and to hear what they are making of it all. One of the highlights, for me, has been the constant stream of WhatAapp messages coming in from listeners, which we read out. It is a privilege to know that people are so engaged. Mind you, it is also an act of kindness on Danny's part that he does not forward to me the messages which say: 'Get this interminable arse off air this minute.' When I ask him how many say that sort of thing, he usually mumbles: 'Oh, you know, only one or two …' The whole thing has rejuvenated my appetite for radio. And I hope, if you tune in, it may rejuvenate yours. It is a mix of highish culture, expert journalism from Times correspondents and humour — much like The Sunday Times itself. What's more, Trevor Phillips has been on the show loads more times. And I always remind him, as the second hand ticks round, that here we are, Trevor, still on air, still going strong. Listen to Times Radio for free on DAB radio, online or via the free Times Radio app. Rod Liddle presents every Saturday from 10am to 1pm
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Prince of Wales celebrates 43rd birthday with new puppy picture
The photograph, taken by the Princess of Wales, was shared by Kensington Palace on William's birthday on Saturday, with the caption: 'Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!' One of the chocolate cocker spaniel puppies is being stroked by the Prince of Wales while their mother Orla is behind him. The Prince and Princess of Wales have had Orla since 2020, after their first dog together Lupo, also a cocker spaniel – which they were given as a wedding present from Kate's brother James Middleton – died unexpectedly. Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies! 🐾 — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 21, 2025 Orla gave birth to four puppies last month and the photograph was taken in Windsor on a sunny day earlier in June. It appears to be a quieter birthday for the Prince of Wales than last year, when he took Prince George and Princess Charlotte to see Taylor Swift at Wembley stadium. William had faced a challenging 12 months in the lead-up to turning 42, with both Kate and his father the King diagnosed with cancer. In the week of his birthday this year, the Prince of Wales joined the King and Queen at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. His wife missed the event for the second successive year and was said to have been disappointed not to join her family at the famous sporting and social event in Berkshire. On Thursday, the Prince of Wales was in Norwich with Earthshot Prize council member Cate Blanchett to see the hi-tech work of one of the 2023 prize finalists. The pair donned lab coats to see how Colorifix, an eco-friendly textile dye company, makes its products. William admitted he needed a 'layman's version' of the scientific explanations and later apologised to staff for 'all the stupid questions'.
