Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took photos with animals in Africa and shared them on Instagram for Earth Day. While many were happy to see the content, a British newspaper claimed that the snaps of elephants, lions, and rhinos “didn't quite tell the full story,” stating that they were “tranquilized” and tied with ropes to get the shot.
After learning about the report, Prince Harry filed a complaint against the publication. Unfortunately for him, the press regulator IPSO said that the article did not breach their editorial guidelines so the Duke of Sussex’s “complaint was not upheld.”
“The article claimed that the ‘pictures… don’t quite tell the full story’ and commented that the complainant notably avoided explaining the circumstances in which the images were taken, namely that all three of the animals had been tranquilized and that the elephant had also been tethered as they were being relocated as part of conservation projects,” the IPSO noted. “It reported that followers of the complainant’s Instagram account were unable to see a rope around the hind legs of the elephant because of the way the picture was edited.”
The IPSO pointed out that the article was not “significantly misleading” as the photographs were indeed unclear whether or not the animals were tranquilized and tied with ropes. The photos were shot in a way that the animal's tethered leg was cropped out and possibly edited.
“In these circumstances, the Committee did not consider that it was significantly misleading to report that the photographs posted on the complainant’s Instagram account did not quite tell the full story and that the complainant had not explained the circumstances in which the photographs had been taken.” the IPSO said.
Now, royal commentator Camilla Tominey calls Prince Harry’s complaint “petty.” She also shared that his move may even complicate things.
“Although the couple are insisting they are going to take this case all the way and not agree a settlement out of court, it does have the added complication that Thomas Markle has agreed to testify against his daughter. This complicates matters considerably,” the royal expert said. “The question royal watchers will be asking is: was it really necessary to launch this action at all? This is kind of a petty complaint about a photograph.”
Camilla Tominey said that the public usually feels bad for public figures when the media publish private matters. This case, however, is different and she believes that instead of gaining sympathy, people might even think that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are just being petty.
