Prince William, Harry criticizes BBC “deception” during Diana interview

Prince William issued a statement Thursday criticizing the BBC for his contribution to the “fear, paranoia and isolation” of his mother, Princess Diana, after a “rogue reporter” used deceptive tactics to persuade her to sit down in a 1995 interview that shocked the royal family and Britain to the core. “It is an indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed greatly to (Diana’s) fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those last years with her,” said William in the statement issued by Kensington Palace, before her death in 1997. Brother, Prince Harry, issued a statement from his California office where he now lives. He blamed “the culture of exploitation and unethical practices” for their mother’s death in a car wreck in Paris, while the paparazzi were stalking her. “Our mother was a wonderful woman who dedicated her life to service,” Harry said in a statement. She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest. The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately decimated her life. For those who have taken some form of accountability, thank you for having it. This is the first step towards justice and truth: Sean. Hannity condemns Prince Harry for his first amendment accusation of “bonkers” More: Prince William and Duchess Kate launch a YouTube channel: Watch their first video, The Duke of Cambridge, Diana’s eldest son, issued his statement in response to an earlier Thursday in London independent investigation of the BBC and its program Panorama news and reporter Martin Bashir.Dyson report found that Al-Bashir used “deceptive behavior,” including creating false bank statements, to secure the explosive interview in a “serious violation” of the broadcaster’s guidelines, then failed to efficiently investigate legitimate concerns raised William, 38, said it was “welcome” for the BBC to accept the findings of the report, but remained “extremely concerned.” He said the investigation showed that “BBC staff” “lied and used forged documents”; The allegations of F. Obvious and false “about the royal family that manipulated his mother’s fears and” ignited megalomania “; Demonstrated “unfortunate incompetence” when investigating complaints about the program; And “covering up” what they knew from their internal investigations. “I see that the disingenuous method obtained from the interview greatly influenced what my mother said,” William said in the statement. “The interview was a huge contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse, and I have hurt countless others since then.” More: Netflix has indefinitely postponed the movie Diana: The Interview that shocked the world documentary “but what saddens me the most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known she was scammed.” “. “It was failed not only by a rogue reporter, but by leaders on the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.” He said he believed that the “Panorama” interview with his mother “has no legitimacy and should not be broadcast again. It has actually proven a false narrative that has been marketed over more than a quarter of a century by the BBC and others.” “In the age of fake news, public broadcasting and free press have never been more important,” William added. “These failures, identified by investigative journalists, not only failed my mother and my family, they failed the audience as well.” Harry, 36, who said he and his wife, Duchess Megan, fled their royal roles last year due to racism in British media and intrusive tabloid behavior, said he was deeply concerned about the practices highlighted in the BBC report. “What worries me deeply is that such practices – worse still – are still widespread today,” Harry said in a statement. “Then, and now, it is bigger than one outlet, or one network or one publication. Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed. By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and preserve the dignity with which life lived. Let us remember who she was and what she defended.” The BBC said in November it had appointed a retired senior judge to lead an investigation after Diana’s brother, Charles, Earl of Spencer, filed renewed complaints that Bashir used fraudulent documents and other unfair methods to persuade Diana to agree to the interview. Forged bank documents relating to his sister’s former private secretary and a former royal family member, with the goal of gaining access to the princess. The interview, in which Diana famously said “There were three of us in this marriage” – referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, now his second wife – was watched by millions and sent shock waves across the country and the monarchy in early 1996, the BBC conducted An internal investigation acquitted Al-Bashir, Panorama and BBC News of any wrongdoing. The new investigation concluded that the investigation was “regrettably ineffective”. The head of the BBC, Richard Sharp, said that the institution accepts the results of the investigation, adding that “there are unacceptable failures.” John Burt, BBC Director General at the time of the interview, apologized to Charles Spencer in a statement, and Burt said: “We now know that the BBC Outlet is a rogue reporter for Panorama who fabricated a detailed, detailed but completely false account of his dealings with Earl Spencer and Princess Diana. “. “This is a shocking stigma on the BBC’s enduring commitment to honest journalism; it is very unfortunate that it took 25 years for the full truth to emerge.” The investigation examined whether the actions taken by Al-Bashir affected Diana’s decision to give the interview. He also looked at the BBC’s knowledge of the “fake bank statements” that Charles Spencer had claimed had been produced by Al-Bashir. Royal News: Princess Beatrice, her husband Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi is expecting the first child together, Buckingham Palace announced that Al-Bashir, 58, has resigned. The BBC last week over its “ongoing health problems”, apologized in a statement for the mockery of the documents, but said he was still “extremely proud” of the interview, according to the BBC’s report on the investigation. Al-Bashir’s statement said, “Princess Diana has been personally selected to participate in the interview.” “The evidence that was handed over to the investigation in her handwriting (and published alongside the report today) unequivocally confirms this, and the other compelling evidence presented to (the investigators) reinforces it.” The investigation first published that letter from Diana, dated December 1995, and it was written in her signature handwriting on Kensington Palace stationery. Bashir told investigators that he found the memo during a search of his home in November 2020, and gave it to BBC officials, and the memo stated: “Martin Bashir did not show me any documents, nor did he provide me with any information that I did not know before.” She said. Sally Biddle Smith, the American biographer of senior royals who wrote extensively about this episode and provided her testimony to the investigation, says she “completely” agrees with Lord Dyson’s report. She couldn’t explain the reason for Diana. He wrote that note, except that Al-Bashir appeared to have a “strong” grip on the unfortunate princess. “There is no doubt that Diana was suspicious and you can even say paranoid before she met Bashir,” Biddle Smith told USA TODAY. But as Charles Spencer (now recorded in the Dyson Report) told me, “She was on her racket after Bashir nurtured her very smartly.” “I completely agree with Lord Dyson’s conclusions, and that the fear and paranoia (the bashir) that spawned her led to the interview and its consequences. Tragic. ” Diana and Charles divorced in 1996 and died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 as it were. The paparazzi followed him. Charles married Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005, and an interview with Diana, as well as a similar documentary about Michael Jackson in 2003, led to the rise of the then-mysterious Bashir and eventually to high-profile jobs in the United States. , Including anchor on ABC’s “Nightline” and as an MSNBC political commentator. He was suspended and later resigned from MSNBC in 2013 after he made comments on the air that he later described as “unacceptable” about former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. BBC since 2016. In October, the BBC reported that he was “seriously ill” with complications related to COVID-19. Contribution: Sylvia Hoy, Associated Press, Hana Yasarov, USA Today