BBC journalist Amol Rajan, who fronted the new BBC Two documentary The Princes and the Press, has issued an apology following comments he made in regards to the royal family back in 2012, where he called the late Prince Philip as "racist buffoon" and said that Prince Charles was "scientifically illiterate".
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He added that the Queen's Diamond Jubilee was "little more than the industrialisation of mediocrity". In a new statement on Twitter, Amol wrote: "In reference to very reasonable questions about some foolish commentary from a former life, I want to say I deeply regret it.
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"I wrote things that were rude and immature and I look back on them now with real embarrassment, and ask myself what I was thinking, frankly. I would like to say sorry for any offence they caused then or now. I’m completely committed to impartiality and hope our recent programmes can be judged on their merits."
Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Clarence House released a joint statement following the documentary, which read: "A free, responsible and open press is of vital importance to a healthy democracy. However, too often it is overblown and unfounded claims from unnamed sources that are presented as facts and it is disappointing when anyone, including the BBC, gives them credibility."
Amol has apologised for his comments from 2012
The official synopsis for the show reads: "Amol Rajan explores the years following the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the positive media reaction to the emergence of a new generation of royals.
"The film charts the years leading up to and including the engagement and marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Providing context for the princes’ relationship with the media, the film examines some of the illegal activities engaged in by some newspapers in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including hacking and 'blagging', and how these techniques were used to target members of the royal family and their associates."
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