BBC apologizes to Princess of Wales over title error

Catherine, Princess of Wales attends the Armistice Day Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on November 11 in Staffordshire, England. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

The BBC has apologized to Catherine, Princess of Wales for referring to her as “Kate Middleton” during the British broadcaster’s recent coverage of Armistice Day.

News presenter and correspondent Rajini Vaidyanathan repeatedly referred to the popular 43-year-old royal by her maiden name last week, sparking complaints from viewers watching the Remembrance coverage.

“During our coverage of memorials to commemorate Armistice Day we mistakenly referred to Catherine, Princess of Wales as Kate Middleton; these were errors during hours of live broadcasting for which we apologise,” the BBC said in a statement.

“Throughout our Armistice Day coverage more broadly, we referred to Catherine by her correct title,” it added.

Armistice Day – also known as Remembrance Day – commemorates the end of World War I and has become a day to remember all those who have lost their lives in conflict.

The Princess of Wales made her first appearance at the Armistice Day Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum on November 11, leading the nation in a two-minute silence before laying a wreath on behalf of the royal family.

The apology comes after the BBC also apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump last week over an editing mishap that featured in a documentary, which he has threatened to sue over.

On Thursday, the BBC apologized to Trump for how a 2021 speech was cut together in an October 2024 documentary titled “Trump: A Second Chance?” saying that it “sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited.”

However, the BBC rejected a claim of defamation made by the US president’s lawyers and has refused to pay any compensation. The controversy plunged the broadcaster into its biggest crisis in years and triggered the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.

Trump subsequently told reporters that he intends to sue the BBC for between US$1 billion and $5 billion despite the broadcaster’s apology.

“I think I have to do it,” Trump told reporters. “They’ve even admitted that they cheated. … They cheated, they changed the words coming out of my mouth.”

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN