Summary of "The Weekly: Prince William's "Accident""

Overview

A Sunrise morning-show teaser sensationally claimed a near-miss between an air ambulance and a drone, repeatedly implying Prince William had been aboard. The bulletin’s wording and pacing generated alarm among viewers before the program later clarified he was not on the aircraft.

“Seconds from disaster”

What happened

Sunrise ran a teaser suggesting an air ambulance — a helicopter Prince William sometimes pilots — had narrowly avoided a midair collision with a drone.
The bulletin repeatedly implied that William himself had been in the aircraft, prompting alarmed viewer reactions (including Australians reportedly texting him).
In reality, Prince William was not on board. The helicopter involved is one he sometimes pilots, but he wasn’t flying it at the time of the incident.

Timeline

5:40 a.m. — Sunrise aired the initial sensational teaser.
7:58 a.m. — The program made clear that Prince William was not on board.
Total time between tease and clarification: about 2 hours 18 minutes.

Reaction and criticism

Sunrise continued to hype the story for hours before clarifying the facts.
Commentators and viewers criticized the broadcast for sensationalism and misleading implications intended to attract attention.
The coverage was described as tabloid-style, with on-air sarcasm and jabs about privilege used in accompanying commentary.