The London Evening Standard has today apologised for incorrectly reporting that Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, after a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission.
The paper admitted its story was untrue and apologised for breaching his privacy – meaning no further action will be taken against the Associated Newspapers title and it will not face adjudication from the PCC complaints committee.
The apology, published on page 5 and the Standard’s website, reads: ‘In the Evening Standard of 6 August we stated that The Duke of Edinburgh had been diagnosed as suffering from cancer of the prostate. We now accept that the story was untrue and that he is not suffering from any such condition.
“We unreservedly apologise both to him and to his family for making this distressing allegation and for breaching his privacy.
A spokesman for the PCC said: ‘This complaint reveals the clear advantages of coming to the PCC with complaints of privacy intrusion. The process has been quick: the final settlement was negotiated less than 36 hours after the original complaint was made.”
He added that the PCC complaint meant that no further private details relating to the Duke’s health were released, which may have happened in a high-profile privacy hearing at the High Court.
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