Complaint
An item in this programme included a number of references to the then-Prince Andrew “relinquishing” his titles. A listener complained this was an inaccurate usage, as the King had not yet issued Letters Patent depriving him of the titles, Royal Highness and Prince. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy.
Outcome
While accepting that the term “relinquish” had no defined meaning in relation to the formal process for the removal of titles and honours, the ECU considered it a sufficiently accurate reflection of a situation in which Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had announced his decision no longer to “use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me” and the process of formally removing them had not yet taken place.
Not upheld