Diana interview
Journalist shows compassion for her sons after investigation
Princess Diana and Martin Bashir in an interview in 1995
© imago / ZUMA Press
Martin Bashir sneaked his legendary interview with Princess Diana. Now he comments on the matter.
An independent investigation recently came to the conclusion that the BBC journalist Martin Bashir (58) sneaked a legendary 1995 interview with Princess Diana (1961-1997) about forged documents. In conversation with “The Sunday Times” Bashir has now commented on the allegations that Diana’s sons, Prince William (38) and Prince Harry (36), then raised.
He is “deeply sorry” for William and Harry, says Bashir. At the same time, he explains, “I never wanted to harm Diana in any way, and I don’t think we did either.” Everything that happened around the interview took place on Diana’s terms – from the content to the time of publication. “My family and I loved them,” assures the journalist. Allegations by Harry and William that Bashir was partly responsible for the death of their mother through the interview, he rejected in the meantime.
A “culture of exploitation and unethical practices”
The investigation had previously shown that the station sneaked Diana’s statements through falsified documents and later – after the first rumors had sprouted – aggressively hushed up the scandal. In a press conference, Prince William said that the BBC interview had made a “significant contribution” to the deterioration in the relationship between Diana and Prince Charles (72), his parents. A “fraudulent activity” by the station contributed to the isolation and paranoia of his mother.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, made a direct connection between Diana’s accidental death and the conversation. “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices” finally cost Diana her life.