BBC faces fresh scrutiny over Diana interview scandal in new book
Diana told Martin Bashir in the Panorama interview in 1995 that 'there were three of us in this marriage', in reference to the relationship of Charles, now the King, with Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the Queen.
The Prince of Wales condemned the interview three years ago as a 'major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse'. The Duke of Sussex said the 'ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life'.
Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, is supporting the publication of a book by the film-maker who exposed Bashir's use of forged bank statements which suggested to the princess that her aides were leaking material to the media.
Spencer, 60, claims the deceit fuelled his sister's paranoia about the aides, which contributed to the circumstances leading to her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. The car was driven by a hotel chauffeur rather than one of her own security officers.
Andy Webb, who uncovered Bashir's deceit, forced the BBC to release 10,000 pages of documents relating to the original scandal and the attempts to keep it secret.
His book, Dianarama — Deception, Entrapment, Cover-up: The Betrayal of Princess Diana, will be published in November, on the 30th anniversary of the Panorama interview. It is said to contain 'material never seen before', obtained from the BBC's archives after a lengthy legal battle under freedom of information laws.
Webb said: 'This is a story I have been investigating for over 30 years. The TV documentary I made in 2020 brought the scandal into the public eye and it helped answer many questions Diana's family had struggled to find answers for.
'What really happened to Diana is something historians will pore over for centuries to come. My findings are a true first draft of history.'
Penguin Michael Joseph, the publisher, described the book as 'the true story of one of the biggest scandals in public life and broadcasting history, revealing a cover-up of staggering proportions, and around which questions persist to the present day'.
A spokeswoman said: 'It's rare to come across a book that presents a radical reappraisal of a major historical event, let alone one written by the individual who, through dogged perseverance, brought that history to light.'
The scandal emerged in 2020 when the BBC released to Webb a heavily-redacted report, including a segment which falsely claimed Spencer was part of Bashir's conspiracy to convince Diana to take part in the interview.
The confidential briefing by Tony Hall, the head of news at the time, claimed that Spencer was involved with Bashir's scheme to produce forged bank statements. Hall, who went on to become director-general and is now Lord Hall of Birkenhead, described Bashir as 'honest and honourable'.
Webb made a documentary, which led to the BBC commissioning an investigation by Lord Dyson. The former Supreme Court judge concluded in 2021 that the broadcaster carried out a 'woefully ineffective' probe and had covered up what it knew of Bashir's 'deceit'.
Bashir, 62, resigned as religion editor days before Dyson's report was published. Documents obtained by Webb last year showed Bashir blamed race and class discrimination for the scandal. Hall resigned as the chairman of the National Gallery after Dyson's report revealed he was aware of the use of the fake documents.
Last year Sarah Jones, the BBC's general counsel, became the first senior executive to be questioned in public about the alleged cover-up. She told a hearing of the Information Rights Tribunal that she wished the broadcaster had spoken to Spencer and showed him documents which exposed the deceit before it became public knowledge.
'I accept that there should have been some consultation with Earl Spencer,' said Jones. 'If we had, events would have unfolded very differently. I very much wish we had shown him, but we didn't.'
Judge Brian Kennedy, who oversaw Webb's legal challenges against the BBC, criticised the £600,000 cost of the broadcaster's legal and support services.
In a judgment dismissing Webb's application for the disclosure of more documents, he wrote: 'It has also come at a disproportionate cost — not only in terms of significant delay to the administration of justice but also in terms of expense to the public purse and to public confidence in the ability of the public service broadcaster to deal with and answer legitimate information requests in a responsible, accountable and adequate way.'
Spencer and the BBC have been contacted for comment.
A BBC spokeswoman said last year: 'We have released a significant amount of information to Mr Webb, including some 10,000 pages of material earlier this year. Redactions have been made only where necessary in line with the exemptions set out in the Freedom of Information Act, including to protect third-party data and material that is legally privileged.'
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