Martin Bashir Used "Deceitful Behavior" to Get Princess Diana to Agree to Infamous 'Panorama' Interview
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Princess Diana shocked the British royal family when she sat down with Panorama's Martin Bashir in 1995 to discuss her "crowded" marriage to Prince Charles, and it became one of the most controversial royal moments of all time. But as it turns out, Bashir used "deceitful behavior" to get Diana to agree to the interview in the first place, according to a new investigation conducted by former U.K. supreme court judge John Dyson.
The investigation alleges Martin commissioned fake bank statements to coax Diana into the interview. The report doesn't directly mention the rumor of awful fake abortion statements alleging Prince Charles had an affair with their nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, being involved but does find the “BBC fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark.”
Tim Davie, BBC's director general, issued a statement saying the BBC accepts Dyson's findings "in full." He said:
"I would like to thank Lord Dyson. His report into the circumstances around the 1995 interview is both thorough and comprehensive. The BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full.
Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this. Lord Dyson has identified clear failings."
This update hopefully means that Prince William and Prince Harry can get some peace on the issue—last year, the brothers were furious about the interview and the lack of transparency about Bashir's means to obtain it. "William is demanding answers and is determined to get to the bottom of it and to find out the truth," a source told Us Weekly at the time. "For William, this particular interview is still very raw. Harry is angry about the interview and shadiness of it all too."
Prince William also made a rare public statement about the Diana interview in November and said (via People), "The independent investigation is a step in the right direction. It should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the Panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time."
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