Late royal confided guilt to a close friend days before her death
Princess Diana shared deep worries about how her 1995 Panorama interview had affected her sons, William and Harry, just ten days before she died.
During a summer trip to Greece in August 1997, she spoke with her friend Rosa Monckton about the emotional weight she had been carrying. According to Monckton, Diana said she regretted taking part in the interview because she believed it had caused harm to her children.
Her conversation with the BBC’s Martin Bashir made headlines around the world. She discussed her troubled marriage, her struggle with bulimia and confirmed affairs on both sides. The fallout pushed the late Queen Elizabeth to advise Charles and Diana to proceed with their divorce.
In the years since, investigations found that Bashir used false documents and alarming claims to gain Diana’s trust. He suggested staff were spying on her for Charles, implied her husband was involved with the nanny and even told her that William’s watch had been fitted with a listening device. Monckton said Diana was vulnerable and that these claims left her isolated.
Both Harry and William have openly criticised the BBC for allowing the deception to take place. In 2021, Harry said the situation contributed directly to the loss of their mother, while William said the lies fuelled her fear and sense of isolation.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris alongside Dodi Fayed later that month.
