A petition launched last night - which has already attracted nearly 3,000 signatures - is calling on the BBC to make their royal coverage 'fair, balanced and proportionate'.



The petition has been launched by campaign group Republic, which says: "The BBC has a long history of getting it badly wrong with its royal reporting."



The group has previously pressed the broadcaster to change its approach to royal events, telling the BBC they should 'report, not celebrate' births and weddings.



Graham Smith, speaking for Republic, said today:



"Weddings and births are happy events for those involved, but the royals use them to promote the royal brand and the monarchy."



"All broadcasters in the UK are obliged to remain impartial, yet the BBC ignores that requirement when it comes to reporting the royals. The tone, content and volume of BBC royal coverage is deferential bordering on the sycophantic."



"Time and again the BBC allows itself to become an uncritical participant in staged royal events. At no point do BBC journalists question the careful management of these events or what that media management says about the monarchy."



"The monarchy is a political, divisive institution, opposed by a large proportion of the country. Like any public authority, the monarchy needs to be treated fairly, impartially and in proportion to what's in the public interest."



"We have been in touch with the BBC on a number of occasions about this - and they simply turn a blind eye to very obvious failures in their coverage."



"This petition will hopefully highlight the seriousness of the problem and the need for change at the BBC."



Republic has previously written to the BBC and had meetings with senior executives following the 2011 wedding and 2013 birth of Prince George. You can read those letters at:

The full details of the petition can be found at www.republic.org.uk/petition/bbc-coverage



The petition says: "We petition the BBC to ensure its royal coverage is fair, balanced and proportionate, avoiding wild speculation and inaccurate claims about the royals and public opinion."