Princess Diana during her Panorama interview.Photo: PA Images
Princess Diana’s bombshell 1995 Panorama interview continues to make waves more than a quarter of a century after it was broadcast.
The corporation added that it had also paid “a substantial sum in damages” to Jephson, stating that it “accepts and acknowledges that serious harm was caused to Commander Jephson as a result of the circumstances in which the 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales was obtained.”
Martin Bashir.Mark Allan/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
In response, Diana’s brother Charles Spencer tweeted that the BBC’s decision was “The right result — appalling what Patrick Jephson had to go through as a result of grotesque “journalism.”
Diana’s interview with Bashir generated global headlines after she admitted that both she andPrince Charleshad been unfaithful during their marriage. She also revealed that she had suffered from bulimia and self-harm during her relationship with the Prince of Wales.
This swiftly led to an order fromQueen Elizabeththat Charles and Diana should divorce (they had separated in 1992). Tragically, Diana died just one year after the official divorce, following a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
Alex B. Huckle/Getty
In May 2021, Dyson ruled that Bashir had used"deceitful methods"to secure his controversial interview and blasted senior BBC executives for trying to cover up the scale of his duplicity.
“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,” Davie said after the report’s publication. “We are very sorry for this.”
“While today’s BBC has significantly better processes and procedures, those that existed at the time should have prevented the interview being secured in this way,” he continued. “The BBC should have made greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and been more transparent about what it knew.”
Princess Diana and Prince Charles.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
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Shortly after the report’s publication,Bashir spoke outabout his involvement in the controversial 1995 interview, stating that he was “deeply sorry” for his actions.
“I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don’t believe we did,” he said in an interview withThe Sunday Times. “Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents.”
“I can’t imagine what their family must feel each day,” he continued in reference to Diana’s sonsPrince WilliamandPrince Harry.
Tiggy — who previously left her job as a nanny back in 1999 after she got married, and now resides in Wales — is reported to have received in excess of £100,000 (over $137,400).
source: people.com
