(Credit: BBC/Facebook)

The BBC apologized for not warning Prince Harry it was broadcasting a neo-Nazi propaganda image showing Prince Harry with a gun pointed at his head and the caption “race traitor.”

As iMediaEthics previously reported, OfCom, the UK broadcast regulator, rejected the prince’s complaint, arguing that the image, and its editorial context, were in the public interest. The OfCom report noted that the BBC added a warning to its article the day after publication and made the image smaller, ultimately deleting the image the following day.

Despite the OfCom rejection of the complaint, the BBC sent a letter to Prince Harry for upsetting him and his family.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry told the Guardian he “welcomes” the apology but argued the BBC shouldn’t have published the image, which he only described.

A BBC source told iMediaEthics: “This was an important piece of journalism which led to the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of two members of a neo-Nazi group.  The image of The Duke of Sussex was included to show the abhorrent nature of their behaviour and OFCOM has subsequently concluded that there was a clear editorial rationale for using the image which, in the context of the news report, was considered unlikely to incite crime.  Naturally we regret the distress caused and we apologised for failing to warn Kensington Palace in advance that it was to be published.”