The Princes and the Press: Royals upset over upcoming BBC doco

The royal family are reportedly threatening to boycott a new BBC documentary. Photo / Getty Images

The royals are uniting over a new BBC documentary which has left the Queen "upset".

The Prince and the Press is an upcoming documentary which airs this week on BBC2, and the royal family have reportedly been barred from viewing the film before it airs in the UK.

The film is presented by the BBC's media editor Amol Rajan, who has previously described the monarchy as "absurd," the Daily Mail reports.

According to multiple reports, the Palace's concern may stem from the documentary's premise, which will provide "context" for William and Harry's relationship with the media. The two-part doco covers the "years leading up to and including the engagement and marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex".

The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton are to said to have joined forces to boycott the film and complain to the BBC when it airs. Despite this, the BBC has not been swayed to share the contents of the film, the Telegraph reports.

Despite several meetings with the Duke of Cambridge's aides and the BBC, it appears the corporation does not want to give the royal family, or their aides, and advance viewing.

An unnamed source told the Daily Mail:

"There is upset about it. The households are all united in thinking this is not fair. No one at the Palace has seen it."

And a senior royal source's comment to the Daily Mail says that the Queen is "upset" that she and others were not able to view the "tittle-tattle" documentary before it airs.

The BBC has so far remained tight-lipped on the documentary and refused to comment to the Telegraph on any complaints by the royal family - but the publication notes this could be due to "last-minute edits" to include the Duchess of Sussex's apology for misleading the court over her level of authorisation for the biography Finding Freedom.

"The programme is about how royal journalism is done and features a range of journalists from broadcast and the newspaper industry," the BBC told the Telegraph.

The controversy over this latest royal documentary follows a previous intervention over the documentary Harry and William: What Went Wrong?

Before the ITV doco aired, the channel removed a clip where royal biographer Omid Scobie claimed that Prince William leaked a story to the press about Harry's mental health.

The documentary comes at an interesting time for the BBC, who this year was embattled with an independent inquiry into Martin Bashir's infamous interview with the late Princess Diana.

It is not know whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have objected to the contents of the Princes and The Press.

And it is not just non-fiction portrayals of the royals which may be causing friction. Netflix's The Crown may have prompted legal action from some of the characters featured in the upcoming season.

Close friends of the royals worried about their own portrayals in the upcoming fifth season sought legal advice - and were told they and the royals themselves had grounds for legal action, reports The Sun.

The advice from legal experts could lead them to take historic action against the streaming company.

A source told The Sun that although experts had not spoken directly to the Queen and her family, "they have been made aware of this advice".