The Duke of Sussex challenged the wish of his brother, the Prince of Wales, never to re-broadcast the controversial interview of Panorama from his mother.
In the new Netflix documentary series of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, harry & meghansegments of the late Princess Diana’s interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir were shown.
The images of Diana speaking about the public and the press scrutiny of his life first aired in the 1995 interview, which according to the prince william her mother’s sense of “fear, paranoia, and isolation” worsened.
Last year, a report by Lord Dyson found that the BBC covered up Bashir’s deception to obtain the interview and “failed to meet high standards of integrity and transparency.”
The journalist was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines after it was discovered that he forged bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, in order to gain access to her.
After the report, William harshly rebuked the BBC, saying: “I think the misleading way in which the interview was obtained had a substantial influence on what my mother said. The interview was a great contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and it has hurt many others since.”
“It brings me indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to the fear, paranoia and isolation I remember from those last few years with her.”
He added: “It is my firm opinion that this program of Panorama it has no legitimacy and should never be reissued. It effectively established a false narrative that, for more than a quarter of a century, has been marketed by the BBC and others.”
At that time, the prince harry He said of the report that he was deeply concerned that journalistic practices like Bashir’s were “pervasive” and “transcend beyond one outlet, one network or one publication.”
“The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ended his life,” he added.
In the first episode of harry & meghanthe duke is seen talking about Diana’s struggles with how intrusive the press was.
He said: “I think she had a personal experience of how hard it was for her to live that life. She felt compelled to talk about it.”
The princess during her ‘Panorama’ interview with Martin Bashir in 1995
(BBC/PA/PA Media)
“Especially in that interview Panorama. I think we all know now that she was tricked into giving the interview. But she at the same time she spoke of the truth of her experience ”.
A clip of Diana is then shown, in which she says: “To this day, I still find the interest to be overwhelming and phenomenal. Because I don’t really like being the center of attention.”
“When I carry out my public duties, I understand that my photos will be taken when I get out of the car. But actually, now they take pictures of me when I walk out my door, my front door. I never know where there is going to be a lens.”
It was reported that there was no contact with Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace nor members of the royal family to comment about the content of the Harry and Meghan series.
According to the PA news agency, a senior palace source disputed the written statement at the beginning of the episode, one that read: “Members of the royal family refused to comment on the content of this series.”
Translation by Michelle Padilla
