Prince William blasts BBC over Diana investigation, Prince Harry says the press killed his mother

London: An angry Prince William has demanded the BBC’s flagship current affairs program be axed after a major investigation found it secured a famous interview with Princess Diana via deception and then covered it up.

Prince Harry has also blasted the public broadcaster and said the press was responsible for killing his mother.

Princess Diana on the BBC’s Panorama program in November 1995.Credit:AP

The interview with journalist Martin Bashir revealed intimate details of Diana’s disastrous marriage to Prince Charles, her affair with army captain James Hewitt and the role of Camilla Parker Bowles in the saga.

“There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Diana told the Panorama program.

A report released on Thursday found Bashir used fake documents to trick Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, into arranging a meeting with his famous sister. It also concluded the BBC covered up the affair when questions were raised after it first aired.

In a blistering statement, Prince William said the BBC had played on his mother’s fears and “fuelled her paranoia”.

“It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said,” William said. “The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.

Princes William and Harry with their father Prince Charles walk among floral tributes in the wake of Diana’s death. Credit:AP

In his own statement, Harry said the ripple effect of a “culture of exploitation and unethical practices” ultimately took Diana’s life.

“Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service,” he said.

“She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest.

“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 deeplthanksy 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.”

William said the BBC displayed “woeful incompetence” during its 1996 investigation into the Panorama episode.

Princess Diana with her sons Harry and William in 1991.Credit:AP

“It is my firm view that this Panorama program holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again,” he said.

“It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised 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.

“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.”

Bashir quit the BBC in the late 1990s but returned as its religion editor in 2016.

The BBC announced last week that he was leaving his current job because of ill health.

Bashir issued a statement on Thursday in which he apologised for the fake statements, but said he stood by his evidence from 25 years ago and that he did not believe they had prompted Diana to give the interview.

With Reuters

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