Earl Spencer calls out the broadcaster for a misleading claim about the Panorama scandal
Earl Spencer, uncle to William and Harry, has criticised the BBC for what he describes as a serious and misleading claim about the long-running controversy surrounding the Martin Bashir interview with Diana.
Andy Webb, author of Dianarama: The Betrayal of Princess Diana, said the late Princess’s brother was angered by a recent BBC News report about the 1995 Panorama interview. The programme, which featured Diana speaking openly about her personal struggles and the breakdown of her marriage, was later found to have been secured through what an inquiry called “deceitful behaviour.”
The BBC’s report, aired on 20 November, suggested that Earl Spencer had “waited 25 years before revealing the truth” about the tactics used to secure the interview. According to the Earl, that claim was untrue. He said he first raised concerns in 2005, when he wrote to then director general Mark Thompson.
In a formal complaint shared by Webb, he wrote that the allegation was “utterly outrageous” and said he had long-held documents at Althorp that showed Panorama’s conduct “to have been less than honest.”
Webb also noted that William remains focused on establishing a full account of how the interview was obtained. He told Hello! Magazine that the Prince of Wales still feels the Dyson inquiry did not go far enough and wants clearer answers about what happened at the time.
