Prince William and Prince Harry have slammed the BBC leadership and journalist Martin Bashir for tricking their mother Princess Diana into granting her infamous interview which the royal brothers say gave flesh to her “fear, paranoia and isolation,” and eventual death.
In a recent statement that was published on Instagram with the account of “royalsussexwindsors.”, William insisted the Panorama special should never be aired again while adding that “the interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.”
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Speaking about the role of the broadcasting firm in Diana’s death 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.”
Though William and Harry appeared to be living in disunity, they’re united in their disgust at Britain’s public service broadcaster, which aired the November 1995 interview where Diana broke her silence on Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, saying, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Diana was then separated from Charles, which led to the Queen insisting the couple should head for a divorce. After the divorce, she lost her Her Royal Highness title and all the security that goes with it.
After two years, precisely on August 31, 1997, Diana died in a car accident in Paris, France while on vacation with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed.
William and Harry spoke out in the wake of findings of an official report by Lord Dyson which was released on Thursday. The report slammed Bashir, who tricked Diana into giving the interview by using fake documents, including mocked-up bank statements created to show palace staff being paid for stories about her.
The report also criticized BBC chiefs, including former BBC boss Lord Hall, for attempting to cover up the truth.
William who spoke in a video clip late Thursday, said, “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.
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“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia, and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.
“But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived. She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.”
“displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the program and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation.”
“It is my firm view that this ‘Panorama’ program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative that, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialized by the BBC and others.
“This settled narrative now needs to be addressed by the BBC and anyone else who has written or intends to write about these events.”
Harry who has always been vocal about his dislike of the press added “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.”
Closing the statement which was shared about 10 hours ago from the time of this publication, William said, “In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important. These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too.”
However, the BBC has now sent a letter of apology to Queen Elizabeth II and the princes, alongside Prince Charles, meanwhile, Martin Bashir has been thrown out from his position as religion editor of the BBC.
