Prince William welcomes Princess Diana interview inquiry

By Michael Holden and Andrew MacAskill

 

FILE PHOTO: Princess Diana arrives at the Royal Geographical Society in London for a speech on the dangers of landmines throughout the world June 12, 1997. REUTERS/Ian Waldie/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William has welcomed a new investigation into how the BBC secured a famous 1995 interview with his mother Princess Diana after accusations that she had been tricked into taking part.

 

The new inquiry led by a former Supreme Court justice will focus on how the broadcaster obtained the interview and whether executives covered up any wrongdoing.

 

"The independent investigation is a step in the right direction," William said in a statement.

 

"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."

 

During Diana's interview with journalist Martin Bashir, watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain, she shocked the nation by admitting to an affair and giving intimate details of her failed marriage to heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles.

 

This month, her brother Charles Spencer said the BBC had failed to apologise for what he said were forged documents and "other deceit" which led him to introduce Diana to Bashir.

 

The BBC's Director General Tim Davie said the broadcaster was determined to get to the truth about Spencer's claims.

 

Spencer says Bashir made a series of allegations to himself and his sister such as that Diana was being bugged by the security services and that two senior aides were being paid to provide information about her. He says Bashir provided fake bank statements to back up the claim.

 

Others involved in making the programme have also come forward to say the BBC had covered up wrongdoing.

 

Bashir has made no public comment to media and the BBC says the journalist, who gained global renown from the Diana interview and is the corporation's religious affairs correspondent, is currently on sick leave, recovering from heart surgery and from contracting COVID-19.

 

The BBC said its investigation would examine five questions such as what steps the BBC and Bashir took to obtain the interview, "including (i) the mocked-up bank statements purporting to show payments to a former employee of Earl Spencer (ii) the purported payments to members of the royal households and (iii) the other matters recently raised by Earl Spencer."

 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-19

 

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The continuing story of Rewriting History ... Part xxx

At least the contents of the interview are not on the chopping table ... so far.

Edited November 18, 20205 yr by Jack Mountain
Last sentence added.

More lies and deceit from the BBC. More scandal.

 

Time to switch to a subscription model and watch them fade away.

40 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

More lies and deceit from the BBC. More scandal.

 

Time to switch to a subscription model and watch them fade away.

The investigation hasn’t even started but you’ve declared the findings already.

11 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The investigation hasn’t even started but you’ve declared the findings already.

 

The BBC has already apologized. I'd call that an admission of guilt.

Good publicity for the new season of "The Crown."

 

 

I watched the original interview on the bbc.

later i watched the same interview on youtube.

parts of it have been edited out.

in particular where she refers to the royal family as the munsters.

 

I am not sure that this will achieve anything - Princess Diana has been dead for 23 years.

 

Perhaps we should consider Basil Hume's (late Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and a close friend and confidant of Her Majesty the Queen in those times) words in the homily he preached at the Mass said for her soul:

 

" I know you will not mind my saying that you were like the rest of us, frail, imperfect, flawed, but we loved you still. It is thus also with God Himself. "

 

"Farewell, then, Diana. The agonies of the heart and the anguish of the mind were often your companions in life. They were your teachers, too, for from them you learned understanding, compassion and kindness. These are you finest legacy to us. Thank you for all the good you did. Thank you for the joy you gave to many. Thank you for being like the rest of us”.

 

The book should be closed. She should be left to rest in peace.

meanwhile william's brother takes millions from the crown's makers..