Princess Diana's 1995 interview with former BBC journalist Martin Bashir has long been regarded as one of the quintessential records of her life.
But the late Princess' children, Princes William and Harry, are making sure it will never be regarded as such again.
In the wake of an investigation into the interview—that has scandalized the BBC and Bashir—both William, Duke of Cambridge, and Harry, Duke of Sussex, have issued fiery public statements slamming the interview and calling for it to never be aired again.
In their separate statements, the Princes criticized the unethical ways the BBC and Bashir obtained and conducted the interview.
They also blamed them for creating the culture of exploitation that relentlessly hounded Princess Diana up until her 1997 death in a car crash during a high-speed chase by paparazzi.
The Princes' statements come following an investigation and 127-page report by former judge Lord John Dyson, which found that the BBC "fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark."
In his statement, released by Buckingham Palace and seen below, Prince William elaborated upon the findings of Dyson's report.
The details the Duke of Cambridge provided in his statement painted a disturbing picture of malpractice.
"BBC employees lied and produced fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother, made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fueled paranoia... and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation."
Prince William went on to say the interview had a significant negative impact on his parents' marriage and contributed to Princess Diana's declining mental health. He then called for it to never be aired again.
Prince Harry's written statement was similarly pointed, and went so far as to blame the BBC and Bashir's interview directly for his mother's death.
His statement read:
"The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life..."
"Yet what deeply concerns me is that practices like these—and even worse—are still widespread today... Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed."
On Twitter, many people applauded both Princes for speaking out.
An extraordinarily powerful statement from Prince William tonight. While slamming the BBC, it\u2019s to his immense credit he also extolled the vital need for a free media and press. The words of a future King.— Tom Newton Dunn (@Tom Newton Dunn) 1621546692
WOW. \nAbsolutely blistering attack on the BBC by Prince William. \nNever seen him do this before - his simmering rage is palpable, and fully justified.https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1395484854272335875\u00a0\u2026— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1621544825
My thoughts tonight are with Prince William, Prince Harry and Diana\u2019s family \n\nCan\u2019t believe it took 26 years to finally get the truth...pic.twitter.com/sQnnmYhVX8— CoutureAndRoyals (@CoutureAndRoyals) 1621548158
We know, right, that this eventually helped lead to Diana\u2019s death? This interview changed EVERYTHING.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prince-william-harry-slams-bbc-deceitful-princess-diana-interview_n_60a6c0dce4b019ef10d7e872\u00a0\u2026— Robin L (@Robin L) 1621546508
I just heard William speak on the radio about Bashir and the bbc As if he hasn\u2019t been through enough How very sad . Bashir is a dogs dinner. . Just desserts Bashir . It was going to get you sooner or later. Now it\u2019s your turn to face the music.— \ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3fMaddy \ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3f (@\ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3fMaddy \ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3f) 1621546015
Looking back, it really was disgraceful that documents were faked in order to get access to Diana, who at the time was in a vulnerable position. That interview should never have gone ahead. Martin Bashir and others should be held accountable— Philip\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@Philip\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7) 1621545657
There really is no understating how huge of a moment this speech is. For 26 years a narrative has been painted around Diana and William effectively just took a sledgehammer to it. #princewilliam #PrincessDianapic.twitter.com/lQxyFwBhtH— The Rumble Online (@The Rumble Online) 1621546397
I think it\u2019s a positive start for Prince Harry and Prince William to speak out about what has happened in their lives. It\u2019s not a betrayal it\u2019s a healthy thing to do. Being in the public eye as a child is very toxic. Good luck to them as adults.— Stella Parton (@Stella Parton) 1621600008
Wow. A really strong statement from Prince William. Props to him. And also good to see William and Harry both timed their embargo for the same time.— Toria (@Toria) 1621544886
A day of shame for the BBC as it finally says it is \u201cvery sorry\u201d for the circumstances in which Martin Bashir procured Panorama interview with Princess Diana.\nPrince William and Harry are rightfully furious about what went on.\nMany will say this apology is two decades too late.pic.twitter.com/MHj9FM6vZS— Dan Wootton (@Dan Wootton) 1621516202
In a public statement, the BBC thanked Lord Dyson for his report and issued an "unconditional apology" for the way it handled the Diana interview, stressing its procedures are more stringent today.
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