The joint condemnation of the BBC over its new documentary The Princes and The Press was signed by all three royal households last week – Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace – but it failed to include The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry.

The two-part documentary, which started this week, examines how the brothers' relationship with the media has changed over the years and is also said to contain explosive claims relating to Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, as well as comments about the late Princess Diana.

But in a joint statement condemning the show, the three royal households said that while a free, responsible and open press is of "vital importance to a healthy democracy," they accused the BBC of being involved in "overblown and unfounded claims" from unnamed sources that are presented as facts and.

Royal expert Daniela Elser, writing for news.com.au, has pointed to the missing royal as a sign that the relationship between him and brother Prince William is even more strained than we might have thought.

She wrote: "Now this (the statement) is hardly an acid-fuelled tongue-lashing for the ages but what is crucial here is what was not part of the statement.

"That is one name – Harry, you know, the member of the royal family who has never been shy about giving the press a dressing down at any other time.

"The Duke of Sussex has so far failed to comment. Previously, rebuffing the media has been one thing that has united the Wales brothers…that sort of mutual undertaking would seem to be a thing of the past."

The show is presented by Amol Rajan and includes suggestions of royal sources speaking to journalists behind the scenes.

It has been billed as telling the story of one of the most "dramatic" periods in modern royal history.

A second episode, focusing on 2018-2021 – when the royal feud really kicked off – will air on Monday on BBC at 9pm.

The Daily Star has reached out to Buckingham Palace and to the Duke of Sussex to see whether the latter was aware of the statement. The former refused to comment.

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