PRINCESS MICHAEL of Kent has suffered her latest public humiliation, with the decision by Channel 4 to pull the plug on a documentary about her life midway through filming.

The programme, which would have been presented by the royal, nicknamed “Princess Pushy”, was planned to show her house, Nether Lypiatt Manor in Gloucestershire, currently on sale for £6m. It would also have looked at her charity work and interest in interior design.

However, Channel 4 abruptly cancelled the progamme last week, officially citing “editorial reasons”.

Insiders said it discovered the princess had negotiated an arrangement with the independent production company making the show that she would have final editorial control. The channel said its policy was never to allow outside control over its programmes.

It is thought to be the first time a member of the royal family has been asked to make a television show and had it scrapped.

About half the programme had already been filmed as far afield as Moscow. Much of the documentary, however, had been shot at Nether Lypiatt.

The living arrangements of the princess and her husband, Prince Michael, the Queen’s first cousin, have been an enduring source of embarrassment.

In September, a reporter from the News of the World posing as an Arab sheikh taped the princess making disparaging comments about the late Diana, Princess of Wales, as he viewed the Kents’ home. MPs have described the royal couple as “squatters” after it emerged the Queen was allowing them to live in an apartment at Kensington Palace in London for a peppercorn rent.

The programme, which had the working title Royal Biography, was due to be broadcast early next year.

At the time it was commissioned, Channel 4 said the documentary would be aired only after Nether Lypiatt had been sold. The broadcaster was wary of possible criticism that it was being used — directly or indirectly — as a “shopfront” for the Kents’ house sale.

However, the grade I listed building near Stroud has now been on the market since March. Damien Hirst, the artist, inquired about it at one stage.

The royal couple bought the manor house in 1980 for £300,000. Since then they have improved the property with an indoor heated swimming pool, much redecoration and a herb garden planted by Rosemary Verey, the Prince of Wales’s favourite gardener.

The Kents say they want to sell the property to raise money for their two children, who are both in their twenties. In 2007, when Prince Michael turns 65, the couple will stop receiving financial aid from the Queen.

The princess, who was not being paid a fee for fronting the programme, had already shot many scenes in which she was shown talking about Nether Lypiatt, which was built for Judge Charles Coxe at the start of the 18th century.

“It was about the history of the house and her love for it,” said Tris Payne, managing director of Liverpool Street, the independent production company making the programme. “We also wanted her to talk about her passion for history, art and interior design.”

However, Princess Michael had also been filmed recalling her embarrassment over the so-called “Fake Sheikh” episode. This happened in September when an undercover reporter visited Nether Lypiatt.

Touring the property, the princess described Diana as “nasty, bitter and strange” and claimed Prince Charles had simply “married a womb”. She later apologised for her remarks.

This weekend Simon Astaire, the princess’s agent, expressed disappointment over the documentary’s cancellation.

“I think there might have been a sense at the channel that we were getting too much editorial control,” he said. “But my main task is to protect her and look after her interests.”

Astaire denied that Channel 4 had ditched the programme because it might primarily be seen as a marketing vehicle for Nether Lypiatt. “If you try to make a film which is essentially public relations, it will not work,” he said.

It was Astaire who negotiated the terms of the programme with Liverpool Street after the company approached him earlier this year.

Liverpool Street now plans to approach other broadcasters. “We will clearly carry on filming if we get a deal and the princess, I understand, is happy with this,” said Payne.

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