Harry, Duke of Sussex, has joined his brother William, Duke of Cambridge, in welcoming a new investigation into how the BBC secured a historic 1995 interview with their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.
Key points:
- Prince William has previously said the inquiry was a step in the right direction
- Princess Diana's 1995 interview was watched by millions globally
- The journalist in question has been unable to speak on the issue due to health complications
John Dyson, a former UK Supreme Court justice, is leading a new inquiry into how the public broadcaster obtained the interview and whether executives covered up any wrongdoing after accusations that the late princess was tricked into taking part.
This has sprung from new allegations from the brothers' maternal uncle, Earl Charles Spencer, who alleged the journalist who secured the interview, Martin Bashir, showed him false bank statements that suggested British security services were paying two royal courtiers for information on the Princess, which included her private secretary.
The Earl said these documents convinced him to introduce Bashir to his sister.
Bashir's career rose significantly following the interview, which included securing a series of interviews with Michael Jackson for a 2003 documentary.
Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, said earlier this week the investigation was a step in the right direction and a Reuters source close to Prince Harry said the prince was getting regular updates.
The person familiar with the situation also questioned some British media reports which asked why Harry, living in California with his wife Meghan and son Archie, had not joined his brother in welcoming the investigation earlier.
"Sadly, some people are not just seeing this as a drive for truth, but also trying to use this as an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between the brothers," the person said.
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The 'interview of a generation'
The interview aired in an era where the internet was still in its infancy, when television was the world's dominant media platform.
Diana's interview with Bashir on the BBC Panorama program was watched by more than 23 million viewers in Britain alone, while millions more watched the program globally after the corporation sold its rights to overseas broadcasters.
Just what made it so infamous was the candidness of Princess Diana's revelations, which included the admission of the Royal couple's infidelities, alongside the Princess's struggles with mental health and the demands of Royal life.
Queen Elizabeth II formally requested the Royal couple to divorce shortly after the interview was aired.
Following its British broadcast, the BBC's then-head of news, Tony Hall, called the program the "interview of the decade — if not of our generation" which "changed the way we report on the monarchy" in a letter to Bashir afterward.
Clouds over Bashir's ethics stretch back to 1996
In 1996, the BBC found that Bashir had commissioned an in-house graphic artist to mock-up two fake bank statements that falsely claimed the Earl's head of security was paid by the British tabloids for information on his sister.
While the BBC has recently apologised to the Earl over those statements, an internal 1996 inquiry cleared Bashir of any wrongdoing.
In BBC internal documents released this year under a freedom of information request, Lord Hall said Bashir "wasn't thinking" when he commissioned the fake bank statements, and insisted Bashir was an "honest and honourable man".
But Earl Spencer has said he was not consulted by the BBC during its 1996 inquiry, and maintains the corporation has failed to apologise for the "deceit" that led him to introduce Bashir to his sister.
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On Saturday, he tweeted that he was "not at all satisfied" with the BBC inquiry's parameters.
The Earl has previously stated that he is seeking damages from the BBC over the alleged deceit, which he would then donate to charities "forever linked" with the Princess, if successful.
Bashir has made no public comment on the situation and is currently on sick leave, recovering from heart surgery and from contracting COVID-19.
The BBC has said Bashir would be invited to participate in the inquiry once he was fully recovered.
ABC/Reuters
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTExLTIyL3ByaW5jZS1oYXJyeS1qb2lucy1wcmluY2Utd2lsbGlhbS1wcmluY2Vzcy1kaWFuYS1iYmMtaW5xdWlyeS8xMjkwNzkxNtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjkwNzkxNg?oc=5
2020-11-21 13:58:00Z
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