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A statement on today’s report of The Dyson Investigation pic.twitter.com/uS62CNwiI8
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 20, 2021
MARTIN BASHIR’S INTERVIEW with Princess Diana fuelled her “fear, paranoia and isolation” in the final years of her life and damaged her relationship with the Prince of Wales, Prince William has said in a stinging condemnation of the BBC.
His brother, the Duke of Sussex also hit out at the corporation, saying: “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.”
The furious brothers issued scathing statements on the BBC’s actions after an inquiry found the broadcaster covered up “deceitful behaviour” used by journalist Bashir to secure his headline-making 1995 interview with their mother.
In a separate statement, Prince Harry said: “Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest.
The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life. To those who have taken some form of accountability, thank you for owning it.
“That is the first step towards justice and truth. Yet what deeply concerns me is that practices like these — and even worse — are still widespread today.
Then, and now, it’s bigger than one outlet, one network, or one publication. Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed.
“By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life. Let’s remember who she was and what she stood for.”
An inquiry from Lord Dyson found the BBC covered up Bashir’s deceit and “fell short of high standards of integrity and transparency”.
The journalist was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, to gain access to the princess in 1995, the report said.
The BBC has written to the royal family to apologise for the circumstances surrounding the interview, in which Diana said: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”, a reference to Camilla Parker Bowles – who Charles later married.
Personal expressions of regret have been sent to the Queen, Prince of Wales, the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, and Diana’s brother Charles, Earl Spencer.
The earl has said he “draws a line” between the Panorama interview with his sister and her death two years later.
He told a Panorama programme yesterday the consequences of the princess’ decision to do the interview contributed to her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.
Diana and her lover Dodi Fayed died when their car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel as they were being pursued by the paparazzi.
At the time of her death the princess had been divorced for a year after the final stages of her marriage break-up had become public.
Lord Dyson’s report said: “By showing Earl Spencer the fake Waller and Jephson/Aylard statements and informing him of their contents, Mr Bashir deceived and induced him to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana. By gaining access to Princess Diana in this way, Mr Bashir was able to persuade her to agree to give the interview.”
An internal 1996 BBC investigation into the matter led by former director-general Lord Tony Hall, who was director of BBC news and current affairs at the time, and another senior manager Anne Sloman, was described as “woefully ineffective” by Lord Dyson’s report.
Lord Hall has apologised and said: “I was wrong to give Martin Bashir the benefit of the doubt, basing that judgment as I did on what appeared to be deep remorse on his part.”
A handwritten note from Diana on Kensington Palace notepaper, which was part of the evidence in the inquiry, said Bashir did not show her any documents or give her any information “that I was not previously aware of”.
She said she took part in the interview “without any undue pressure” and had “no regrets concerning the matter”.
Bashir has apologised for faking the documents and said it was “a stupid thing to do” and “an action I deeply regret”, but maintained it had “no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview”.
He said he will “always remain immensely proud of that interview”.
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With all due respects. The BBC can hardly be blamed for the fact that Charles was having an affair with Mrs Parker Bowles throughout his marriage
@jerry slattery: agree , the cause at of her problems and he hasn’t apologised or even owned to the truth ,the fact that his affair let to Diana mental health issues.!
@Veronica Conway: those who can avoid buying the fairytale or ‘The Crown’ script wholesale know that Princess Diana was very damaged from her childhood and though very sincere in her charity efforts was quite entitled and emotionally unstable to the extent Charles had to get counselling to cope. Diana also had multiple affairs.
@Aran Mcg: to be fair, he was tapping Camilla among others long before their divorce. Can’t help but smirk when I think about Harry’s sense of entitlement to the title of Prince when it’s undeniable that Charles isn’t the father.
@Adrian O’Donnell: undeniable? Really? Where’s the hard evidence? I’m genuine here, I am skeptical of Charles being Harry’s father but wheres the evidence? I’ve never been able to find anything concrete
Diana had no one in her corner. Her husband never protected her. The “Firm” left her high and dry. Her brother, by his own admission, left her wide open to this type of cruelty, albeit through ignorance and she clearly did not have good council from friends and staff. The BBC and Bashire were ruthless and uncaring in this story. The greed for the scoop and the career paths of those involved were all they cared about. Well done Harry for taking your family away so quickly. He has no reason to expect that his wife would be protected. He knew what he had to do and he was strong enough to do it.
@2thFairy: I saw a tweet from Harry saying he going to deal with this in full in the first of the episodes of his upcoming six part documentary series ‘The Search for my Privacy’, or is it in the tell all book. I can’t remember. I do enjoy his TikToks to be fair.
@2thFairy: Harry and his wife aren’t so quick to drop the royal titles though are they so Harry isn’t as great as you are making out.
@Ed: Harry is going from the frying pan into the fire. Full off hot air.
@RJ: If Harry dropped his title then he would be known as Prince Henry and she would be Princess Meghan. These titles can’t be taken from him as he is a Prince of the blood.
@John Fagan: I think she would actually be Princess Henry because she isn’t a blood Royal. Like Princess Michael of Kent.
@John Fagan: is he though??
@Adrian O’Donnell: if you’re referring to the rumour that James Hewitt is his father, that affair didn’t start until 1986, two years after Harry was born.
@John Fagan: It’s also bizarre that people still throw that around when you just have to take one look at Harry and Charles and see their identical (unique) noses.
I truly sympathize with their horrible but situation but the BBC are scapegoats here. The main protagonists that caused ” fear, paranoia and isolation” were his father and grandmother yet he continues to kowtow to them. Despite the Oprah thing, Harry did the right thing to shun the royal family.
There 2 spoiled lads, everything at their fingertips paid by taxpayers.S..t happens in every family it’s called life and we all choose our own.
@Angela O’regan: Diana unfortunately didn’t have choices and she walked straight into the dysfunctional royal family, without knowing that Charles was already with a married woman and cheating in front of her from the beginning of the marriage. Its no wonder she had mental health issues. Poor woman was a victim and she didn’t know or have choices.!
@Veronica Conway:
Have to disagree, she had choices . She chose the wrong ones. She was no saint herself.
@Veronica Conway: she knew exactly what she was getting into she was no angel
@James Delaney: lads and lassies ye are all forgetting the main subject of this all, Bashir was deceitful in gaining access to her for this interview. Thats what’s being addressed, not Charles and Camilla and Diana situation. Or Harry and William and their wives. The story is about Martin Bashir being a sly little toad. It’s thrown a massive amount of speculation on every single other interview he was involved with. Remember Michael Jackson? I’m not saying I think Jackson was innocent of anything but Bashir etc have now had the entire world question everything they’ve ever done.
Bashir followed the journalistic mantra of doing whatever it takes to get the story, was it deceitful? Absolutely, but did it change the facts about Diana’s treatment by her husband and his family? Of course not.
But now they are acting as if everything she said in the interview was lies that were concocted by Bashir, when clearly that was not the case, he just provided her a platform, with everything that was said coming from her.
As for contributing to her ultimate demise in a Paris tunnel?
For her children that grew up without any answers, this gives them a scapegoat to blame and an approximation of closure, but in reality the interview gave her an opportunity to have her say about things that would otherwise have remained un-said, leaving the British Royal family facade intact.
The Haunting of the House of Windsor:” In death, Diana will cause more problems for Britain’s royal family than she ever alive’.
“A hushed BBC reporter describe her on a land mine charity event where he describes the scene.
Landmines are very easy to lay but very expensive to get rid of. A perfect description of the princess herself”. Christopher Hitchens.
It’s a dysfunctional family just like many other families are. He had affairs and she had affairs. The marriage should never have happened, she was too young and hopelessly nieve. Best to let her rest in peace and move on.
@Teresa O’Halloran: she was yes. But knew how to play the game. I do feel bad for the two boys. Seriously who could grow up right in their shoes? I’ll take my own life of normality over theirs any day.
Bashir may have deceived Lady Di into thinking her life was at stake and the whole world was against her but as with the best lies it proved so convincing because there was some truth in all of this. Her untimely death in still unexplained circumstances may have proved that he was right.
@Sean: There is explained circumstances. A drunk driver who decided to go on a French connection style chase through the streets of Paris all because the Paparazzi, who they should have been well used to, decided to stalk them outside their hotel. Why do people feel the need to theorize and get all conspiracy theory about simple facts? Drunk driver was was meant to be protecting the Princess was speeding, and she wasnt wearing a seatbelt. As for the Bashir interview, Journalist uses whatever tactics he has to get a good interview, theres a shocker. Nobody held a gun to her head; she shouldn’t have granted the interview in the first place.
@Sean: unexplained? Her untimely death was brought about by excessive speed and not wearing a seat belt.
@OConnelj: What was her bodyguard doing letting her not wear a seat belt? All the eyewitnesses saw what happened. Oh wait, the crash was in a tunnel. No independent witnesses. Quel surprise!
@A Well Known Comical Stereotype: are you serious? she was a grown woman, not a child.
Diana also lied to those around her about this interview, boy did this backfire spectacularly..
It’s boring now. Silence is golden!
For anyone interested find the documentary Panorama on Google. The standards of the Panorama “journalists” is still shocking.
Apologies. The documentary is “Panodrama”
Interesting to see the two different reactions from her two sons. William is concerned for the hurt caused to his mother but Harry ( The Private One ) is more concerned over the impact on himself .!
Bashir should be criminally investigated and his pensions stripped from him. That interview make his career and he should not be allowed to benefit from it .
As for Harry , it’s time he grew up and took responsibility for his own actions . No one has a perfect childhood or perfect parents and he needs to own his own mistakes . As a mother myself I fully acknowledge that I am not the perfect parent . Life is not black and white !!!!
Not a day goes by but we hear something about Harry. It’s getting as bad as the circus around Donald Trump. Too needy bores.
Seriously journal , I can’t comment (deemed toxic) with the following phrase but can when it is capatilised ,Dirty Rotten Scoundrels?? Anyway Martin Bashir is one. And I knew that when he did the Michael Jackson interviews. It was obvious that he was there under false pretences.
@Marie Broomfield: Nobody forced Diana or Jackson to answer any of the questions he asked. I don’t even think the interviews were broadcast live. Whatever about Jackson, Diana was not as naive as she led people to believe.
How can Meghan be blamed for this? The pitchfork gang want to know.
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