Newspaper apologizes for false royals story

By Luke Baker

LONDON (Reuters) - One of Britain's most-read newspapers was forced to apologize on Friday after falsely reporting that Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip was suffering from prostate cancer.

London's Evening Standard made the apology after Buckingham Palace complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the August 6 front-page story.

"We now accept that the story was untrue and that he is not suffering from any such condition," the Evening Standard said.

"We unreservedly apologize both to him and to his family for making this distressing allegation and for breaching his privacy."

The decision to report the newspaper to the complaints commission was itself uncommon, but Buckingham Palace said it had done so because the story was not only not true but damaging and was being widely reported by other media.

"Buckingham Palace has always maintained that members of the royal family have a right to privacy, particularly in relation to their personal health," the palace said in a statement.

"For this reason, we have always refused to confirm or deny the persistent rumors that circulate about their health, particularly during the quieter news months."

The Standard's apology came two weeks after a judge made an important privacy ruling in Britain's High Court.