Major Setback For Prince Harry And Meghan Markle As BBC Drops Controversial Podcast

The BBC podcast about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is on hold after UK national broadcaster was hit with complaints by royal fans, marking a significant setback for the couple.

The controversial podcast about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remains on hold. The podcast was due to air two weeks ago but was postponed after nearly 1000 complaints from the public hit the broadcast service. Its rescheduled release date is yet to be announced. The news of the delay comes shortly after the controversy over "The Princes and the Press."

The upcoming series, "Harry, Meghan and the Media" has been produced as the follow-up to BBC's "The Princes and the Press," the two-part documentary series about Prince William and Prince Harry's relationship with the media. The audio program is expected to feature more controversial content than its video predecessor.

"The Princes And The Press," presented by Amol Rajan, received criticisms by the royal household for giving credibility to "overblown and unfounded claims," seeking to examine "allegations of sexism, racism and strategic leaks" within Buckingham Palace. This prompted the service's broadcast to be moved from the BBC to ITV.

The two-part documentary showed suggestions that courtiers leaked negative stories about Harry and Meghan, and that there was competitiveness between households. The documentary gathered a rare joint statement from Royal houses, including Clarence House.

The series, which featured an interview with Meghan's top lawyer, was criticized by the Royal Family after being denied permission to view it ahead of its airing. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Prince William filed a complaint about the provocative documentary, releasing a joint statement saying that its "overblown and unfounded claims from unnamed sources."

BBC's plan to release the program has severely damaged the Royal Family's already fragile relationship with the national broadcaster. William and Kate Middleton banned BBC from airing their Christmas concert after the issue that spiked the "The Princes And The Press" documentary. They decided to go with ITV for the festive music special.

After stepping down from their royal duties, Harry now lives in the United States with his wife Meghan and their children. In recent talks, the Sussexes signed a rumored $33 million podcast series deal with Spotify, but as yet, they have only released one episode.