Eight months ago, I was introduced to the BBC’s rising star Amol Rajan who asked me to be interviewed for a TV documentary he was making.
The book was all about the relationship between Prince William and Harry with media following the passing of Diana. He said the working title was The Princes And The Press but, he went on to say, delphically, that it didn’t ‘capture what we’re doing’.
Indeed it didn’t. I thought the first episode of the resultant series was a hatchet job by the Palace and the Press. It was broadcast on Monday. . . See also a hagiography Harry and Meghan. Because it was so bias against royals, the Palace threatened to boycott future BBC dealings.
Evidently, I wasn’t going to be a part of such an ugly conversation when I agreed to spend at least two hours with Rajan. He was charming and self-deprecating, which made me feel like everything was right on the same level.

Eight months ago, I was introduced to the BBC’s rising star Amol Rajan who asked me to be interviewed for a TV documentary he was making
After I finished the programme, it was less than 2 minutes. I felt utterly conned.
Rajan agreed to let me see any additional edits that might be included in Monday’s second episode. It had been six months since our interview. He replied: ‘Alas impossible to share: we are still working on the programme. I’m so sorry as always want to be fair.’
I think viewers have already made up their mind about how ‘fair’ the series is.
The producers allowed Meghan’s lawyer Jenny Afia to speak with the duchess’s approval, at length and unchallenged. They failed to give the Royal Family that same chance, which is most shameful.
What’s more, they gave disproportionate prominence to Omid Scobie, a Meghan super-groupie who was co-author of a fawning biography.

During Monday’s episode, he highlighted two of my Daily Mail columns that were critical of the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William —even though I’ve written any number in their favour, writes Amanda Platell (pictured)
Because she was so popular, he had full access to the Palace. But the Royal Charter set up a national broadcaster to give Palace staff a sneak peek at what the Queen, her family, and others were being accused of.
I’m deeply ashamed to be associated with The Princes And The Press and feel let down by Amol Rajan, who I believe misled me.
During Monday’s episode, he highlighted two of my Daily Mail columns that were critical of the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William —even though I’ve written any number in their favour. It seemed I was being used to bolster Meghan’s case. It was obvious that I knew better.
Even though I’m not happy with the treatment, Heaven knows how the Royals feel about the BBC trashing their lives.
Rod is interested in discussing it ….
Well done Rod Stewart, 76, for encouraging men to take classes in the menopause after his wife Penny Lancaster, 50, said she found it ‘soul destroying’, and he retorted that the whole thing was ‘frightening because this wasn’t the person I married’.
Even learned to throw saucepans in the kitchen!
It must have been a new experience for the ageing rock lothario — Penny, after all, is the first woman he’s stayed with long enough for her to go through ‘the change’.
Mother of Parliaments…
Labour’s firebrand MP Stella Creasy demands Parliament’s rules are changed so that she can bring her three-month-old son into the House of Commons chamber —despite there being a posh on-site creche. Pip is a good fit, considering that half of the House members are grown-ups.
Shamima Begum, a British ISIS bride and a refugee from Syria, is once again appealing to us for fair trials. We could surely grant her request. If she is true to reports that she participated in the horrors of ISIS, then she could spend the remainder of her life in prison.
The Archbishop of Canterbury says it’s ‘depressing’ that, from Dawn French’s Vicar of Dibley down, TV portrays parish priests as ‘rogues or idiots’. Time for a lesson in humility for the Most Rev Justin Welby: Dawn’s big-hearted Geraldine Granger was loved by her parishioners and the show drew 13 million viewers. During Justin’s leadership, the CofE’s congregation has shrunk to 3 million.
A Royal Society study says albatrosses, some of the world’s most monogamous creatures, are ‘divorcing’ more often thanks to the planet over heating. Is there anything that can’t be blamed on global warming?
Princess Diana’s ex-bodyguard, Sergeant Allan Peters, claims it was she and not Charles who was unfaithful first in their marriage — when she had an affair with her protection officer Barry Mannakee. If true, how can anyone blame a woman for leaving her husband after being married to someone who already loved another person?
Vaughan’s last word
A lot has happened since cricketer Azeem Rafiq tearfully named Michael Vaughan as a racist — claims which he denies.
The former England captain lost his job on the BBC’s Radio 5 Live immediately and now has been cancelled by the Beeb as a commentator on the Ashes. This is not surprising considering Rafiq was alleged to have harassed a young girl with anti-Semitic messages.
Vaughan, who will be commentating in Australia on Ashes for Fox Sports will also be there. Rafiq will have the freedom to fry haddock in his Barnsley fish-and-chip shop.
Jen don’t need to be seen
Jennifer Lawrence says she’s happy for her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio to be paid £5 million more than her for their new movie Don’t Look Up. ‘Leo brings in more box office than I do,’ says the bravely honest actress. In today’s culture of compulsory equality, Jen will inevitably get a bucket of unsisterly opprobrium dumped on her head.
An Audience With Adele – Some were amazed at how much larger she seemed than the pictures of her on Vogue’s covers a month earlier. Surely the gal from Tottenham hadn’t let her images be air-brushed? And, seeing her at the Palladium packed with that audience of obsequious celebs, I couldn’t help wondering if the cheese might have crept back into her diet — and not just her performance.
For those who think our PC Christmas ads are woke enough, there is some one-upmanship from Norway’s Post Office. The ad “When Harry Met Santa” features a romance story in which two men kiss on Christmas Eve. Poor Rudolph must be wondering what he is thinking.
My friend Richard Madeley was rushed to hospital during I’m A Celebrity and is recovering after a false alarm. Are there too many bugs? Are you feeling achy? Or just heartache — as this was the longest he’s been apart from Judy, his wife of 35 years.
Westminster wars
+ At Sir David Amess’s funeral, his lifelong friend Ann Widdecombe said that we should not mourn his brutal death but celebrate his extraordinary life as a devoted MP for three decades.
And what a beautiful legacy he has left in his family — his son David Amess Jnr held his mother’s hand steadying her as she left the service followed by the MP’s four fine daughters.
Although grateful for it, we didn’t need a message from the Pope to remind us what a good man David was.
+ Are we not a little tired of ‘Red Wall’ Tory MPs threatening to topple the Prime Minister? The economy is booming (unlike our neighbours’) and life — for now — is almost back to normal.
Those whiny ingrates have not been in the job for two years and wouldn’t even have one if it weren’t for Boris’s Heineken appeal. It was time they displayed some loyalty.