Britain’s Prince William accused the BBC of failing his mother Princess Diana and poisoning her relationship with Prince Charles after an inquiry found a journalist for the broadcaster deceitfully obtained an interview with her in 1995.
William’s rebuke to the public broadcaster comes after a report published on Thursday said the inquiry found that BBC journalist Martin Bashir used deceit to win a sensational 1995 interview with Diana, and that the broadcaster covered up the deception.
The inquiry’s report has prompted the British government to warn the broadcaster of potential action.
During the “Panorama” interview with Bashir, watched by more than 20 million viewers in Britain, Diana shared details of her crumbling marriage to heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, as well as admitting to adultery.
“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,” William, 38, said in a statement.
In a separate statement issued at the same time, William’s brother Harry drew broader aim at the media and the “ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices [which] ultimately took her life”.
Diana died in a high-speed car crash while being chased by paparazzi photographers in Paris at the age of 36 in 1997.
The BBC set up the investigation, headed by former senior judge John Dyson, in November following allegations from Diana’s brother Charles Spencer that he had been tricked into introducing her to Bashir.
Dyson’s report found that Bashir had shown Spencer fake bank statements suggesting that Diana was being bugged by the security services and that two senior aides were being paid to provide information about her.
After it was aired, Bashir repeatedly lied to his bosses about how the interview was obtained, the report said. As questions continued, BBC managers failed to scrutinise his version of events properly and covered up facts about how Bashir had secured the interview.
The BBC has written to Buckingham Palace to apologise.
Bashir apologised for the fake statements, but said he stood by his evidence from 25 years ago and he did not believe they had prompted Diana to give the interview.
Britain’s culture secretary Oliver Dowden, whose brief includes media, said an independent inquiry into the affair highlighted “damning failings at the heart of the BBC”, which is publicly funded. Ministers would now “consider whether further governance reforms at the BBC are needed”, as talks approach for renewal of its royal charter covering its running and regulation, he added.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I hope very much the BBC will be taking every possible step to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
The BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan on Thursday said blanket criticism from government ministers to the future king and his brother left the BBC “severely injured, probably scarred”.
