The inquiry to Princes William and Harry’s mom, Princess Diana’s, 1995 interview with journalist Martin Bashir’s interview has concluded.
Led by former British Supreme Court Judge John Dyson, the inquiry alleged that Martin had shown “deceitful behaviour” – including using fake bank statements – to arrange a meeting with Princess Diana.” He then later lied to BBC managers about them, the inquiry said. The investigation also finds “BBC fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark.”
BBC’s Director General Tim Davie has issued a statement that BBC accepts the findings in full:
“I would like to thank Lord Dyson. His report into the circumstances around the 1995 interview is both thorough and comprehensive. The BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full.
Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this. Lord Dyson has identified clear failings.”
Princes William and Harry have chosen to release separate statements on the matter.
Prince William called the findings “extremely concerning” and touched on how the interview has affected his parents’ relationship.
“I would like to thank Lord Dyson and his team for the report…it is welcome that the BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full – which are extremely concerning – that BBC employees: lied and used fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother; made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia; displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the programme; and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation.
It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.”
Prince Harry spoke passionately about his mother and how the media played part in her death.
“Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest. The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.
To those who have taken some form of accountability, thank you for owning it. That is the first step towards justice and truth. Yet what deeply concerns me is that practices like these— and even worse—are still widespread today. Then, and now, it’s bigger than one outlet, 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 uphold the dignity with which she lived her life. Let’s remember who she was and what she stood for.”
Prince Harry was only twelve when his mother died in a car accident. But, in his new docuseries about mental health, The Me You Can’t See, which he co-produces with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry opens up about how the trauma of his mother’s death, along with his life in the royal family, led to a struggle with alcohol and substance abuse in his late 20s.
“Twenty-eight to 32 was a nightmare time in my life, freaking out every single time I jumped in the car and every single time I see a camera,” Harry shared in the series. “I would just start sweating. I would feel as if my body temperature was two or three degrees more than anything in the room. I would convince myself my face was bright red and everyone could see how I was feeling, but no one would know why, so it was embarrassing.”
“I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs. I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling,” he said. “But I slowly became aware, OK, I wasn’t drinking Monday to Friday, but I would probably drink a week’s worth in one day on a Friday or a Saturday night. I was by myself drinking not because I was enjoying it, but because I was trying to mask something.”
At the time though, he was “completely unaware” why he was doing what he was doing. He says that he was just told to “just play the game” to make his life easier.
However, he notes that “I’ve got a hell of a lot of my mum in me.”
Being with Meghan helped him realize he needed to seek help – especially when he started noticing his anger surfacing more and more during the early days of their relationship.
“I knew if I didn’t do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman that I could see spending the rest of my life with,” Harry said. “When she said, ‘I think you need to see someone,’ it was in reaction to an argument we had. In that argument, not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry.”
“I quickly established that if this relationship was going to work, I was going to have to deal with my past because there was anger there,” he said. “And it wasn’t anger at her. It was just anger and she recognized it. She saw it.”
His therapist explained that “reverting” to his 12-year-old self was because he’d never processed the trauma of his mother’s death. The realization helped him see the importance of stepping down from his role in the Royal Family and “break the cycle” for his son.
“My father used to say to William and I when I was younger, ‘Well, it was like that for me, so it’s going to be like that for you,'” Harry recalled. “That doesn’t make sense. Just because you suffered, that doesn’t mean that your kids have to suffer. In fact, quite the opposite. If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, you can make it right for your kids… Isn’t this all about breaking the cycle? Isn’t this about making sure history doesn’t repeat itself.”
