Latest news with #Cover-up:TheBetrayalofPrincessDiana
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New details to be released about BBC's controversial Princess Diana interview with Martin Bashir
Fresh details are set to be released about Princess Diana's controversial interview with BBC broadcaster Martin Bashir. The Panorama investigation in 1995 led to the beloved Royal making the admission: 'There were three of us in this marriage.' The statement confirmed the then-Prince Charles' affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles and led Queen Elizabeth to issue letters advising the couple to divorce. However, in the years since Diana's death in 1997, concerns have been raised about the ethics of the interview. Bashir admitted to falsifying bank statements in a bid to put pressure on the family to take part in the broadcast, which was watched by 23 million people at the time. It was condemned by Prince William and Prince Harry, with the latter saying it was a 'ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life'. BBC journalist Andy Webb brought the scandal to light in 2020, in a three-part Panorama special that reignited the controversy and sparked both a BBC investigation and a public inquiry. Webb forced the BBC to release 10,000 pages of documents shedding light on the scandal and attempts to keep it secret. Bashir has claimed that although he regrets some behaviour, criticism of the work came from 'professional jealousy' and 'racism'. However, after a lengthy legal battle under freedom of information laws, Webb has uncovered 'material never seen before' from the BBC's archives, to be included in his new book Dianarama — Deception, Entrapment, Cover-up: The Betrayal of Princess Diana. 'This is a story I have been investigating for over 30 years,' Webb said, according to The Times. '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.' The book is supported by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, who has previously claimed that the forged bank statements led to his sister being left unable to trust her close aides. The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment. Released in November 2025, it will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking interview. Publisher Penguin's Michael Joseph 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.'
Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
BBC faces fresh scrutiny over Diana interview scandal in new book
The BBC faces fresh scrutiny of its deceit in obtaining a landmark interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, with the publication of previously secret details from the broadcaster's archives. 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.'
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
New book to reveal more about scandal of Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana
A book about the BBC's controversial Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, is due to be published later this year. Dianarama: Deception, Entrapment, Cover-up: The Betrayal of Princess Diana by Andy Webb will feature unseen material pertaining to the scandal over the methods employed by BBC journalist Martin Bashir to secure the interview. A 2021 inquiry found that Bashir faked documents to obtain the landmark interview, in which Diana spoke candidly about the breakdown of her marriage and her struggles with bulimia. The book has reportedly been written with full cooperation and support from Charles Spencer, Diana's younger brother. According to the inquiry, Bashir showed forged bank statements to Spencer in order to gain an introduction to Diana. The statements suggested that individuals were being paid to surveil the princess. However, in a December 1995 note, Diana wrote that she 'consented to the interview on Panorama without any undue pressure' and had 'no regrets concerning the matter'. Dianarama's author, Webb, had 'unrivalled access to secret documents and key players within Princess Diana's family as well as the BBC', according to the publisher's description of the book. The former BBC reporter 'instigated the exposure of Bashir's deceit in persuading Diana to be interviewed'. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Webb previously directed a documentary investigating Bashir's methods, shown on Channel 4 in 2020. And in 2021 he filed a freedom of information request to the BBC, for emails relating to Bashir sent between corporation bosses over a three month period in 2020. He was ultimately sent more than 3,000 messages, amounting to 10,000 pages. In an email sent on 19 October 2019, a lawyer told an editor of Panorama that the BBC was 'not releasing all of the internal investigations documents at this present time', the BBC later reported. Webb said the broadcaster 'clearly admit that documents were being withheld', amounting to a 'cover-up'. Dianarama is 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,' said the publisher in its acquisition statement. '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,' said Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin imprint Michael Joseph, which will publish the book on 20 November, exactly 30 years after the interview aired. 'This is a 'David versus Goliath' tale, a lone journalist holding one of the most venerable of British institutions to account, along with very senior figures within it.'
