Newsnight, Kay Burley’s comment, July 2026

Summary of complaint

We received complaints about comments made by Kay Burley during a discussion about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, in which she stated that he should be recognised as a war hero.


Our response

Kay Burley was invited onto the programme as a guest contributor to a discussion focused on Pizza Express's decision to launch an internal inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s 2019 Newsnight claim that he was at its Woking branch at the time Virginia Giuffre alleged he had sexual contact with her.

Kay Burley’s comment that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should be accepted as a war hero was unscripted and made during a live broadcast in the closing moments of the programme.

We are satisfied that it would have been clear to viewers that Ms Burley’s comment represented her personal opinion and was not a view shared or supported by others participating in the discussion.