Prince Harry to be guest editor on Today programme

Prince Harry and artificial intelligence software will help guest edit Radio 4’s Today programme for two special editions between Christmas and New Year.

Kensington Palace said Prince Harry would use the opportunity to “shine a spotlight on a number of issues that are close to his heart”, including youth violence, conservation and mental health.

The AI edition will involve technology conducting an interview through a presenter modelled on Mishal Husain and will “enhance” the special edition of Today, although the BBC is still working on the exact format.

It will also include global experts exploring how AI impacts lives and how it could be used to improve the Today programme and remove human error.

Every Christmas the Today programme, which has a weekly audience of seven million, recruits high profile guest editors.

Other guest editors this festive season will be Lady Trumpington, the 95-year-old Conservative peer who worked at Bletchley Park during the second world war and wants to explore the legalisation of brothels; Tamara Rojo, the artistic director and lead principal dancer of the English National Ballet and Benjamin Okri, the poet and novelist who wrote a poem about the Grenfell Tower fire.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: “Prince Harry is grateful to have Today’s considerable reach to shine a spotlight on a number of issues that are close to his heart. He is working closely with Today’s team to produce segments on a range of topics, including youth violence, conservation and mental health.”

The BBC has used guest editors over the festive season for the past 13 years. They are responsible for about half of each programme’s content, typically choosing issues that are important to them.

Prince Harry is the second royal guest editor of Today. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was involved in 2004. Other previous guest editors include the physicist Stephen Hawking, lawyer Miriam González-Durántez and Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF. Last year, the BBC put together an all-female group of guest editors including the Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams, the actor Carey Mulligan and the business executive Helena Morrissey.

Sarah Sands, the editor of Today, said: “We are delighted by the range of guest editors this year. This Christmas tradition allows our listeners to benefit from the experiences and perspectives of remarkable public figures. We finish with a programme dedicated to AI which gives a glimpse of the future of Today.”

The exact dates of the special Today editions have not yet been confirmed.