Much rain had fallen since that moment. When Diana, Princess of Wales, spoke on the Panorama program in 1995, the BBC confronted the monarchy by airing intimate details of her marriage to then-Prince Charles. The words of Lady Di, appearing stark and wounded, made it clear to all that many had already suspected: “There were three of us in that marriage. It was a bit crowded.” This revelation and other confidential disclosures about the interview were presented to the show’s director and host, Martin Bashir, who would later be criticized for compromising the integrity of the interview.
Twenty-three million viewers tuned in as the BBC, a cornerstone of British media, experienced a collective shock in what is widely called the interview of the century. That moment remains a defining reference point in discussions about media ethics and royal transparency.
This scene is echoed in episode 7 of the fifth season of the Netflix drama The Crown, which premiered the second episode of its sixth and final season this week.
In a legal development, Judge Brian Kennedy ordered the BBC to publish more than 3,000 emails. The move is expected to shed new light on the press practices surrounding the interview and the actions of senior BBC executives. The lawyer defending the public broadcaster described the conduct as inconsistent and unreliable, stating it raises serious concerns about accountability.
New emails
Investigative journalist Andy Webb is examining the BBC’s awareness of the methods used to obtain the interview and has requested a review of the emails under information rights laws. Although some messages were previously accessed, it has been revealed that a portion still exists. Over 3,000 emails have not yet been examined.
It’s all for the audience
Despite Bashir’s efforts, the documentary could not achieve the audience numbers he anticipated. The question lingers: how does a major program outpace well-known journalists like Oprah Winfrey or Diane Sawyer? In light of recent events, rumors about Diana’s Welsh roots surfaced. Charles, in a separate interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, discussed his predicament and sought to present his perspective on the events.
Spencer’s complaint
By late 2020, years after Diana’s death in a Paris car crash with her companion, Dodi Al-Fayed, Diana’s brother Charles Spencer argued that the BBC had not apologized for what he described as forged documents and other hoaxes linked to Bashir. He noted that Spencer’s notes from a 1995 meeting with Bashir and Diana later appeared in the Daily Mail, which reported a sequence of allegations intended to secure the interview. Among these claims were the suggestion that Diana was followed and harassed by security forces, and that two senior aides provided information about her while fake bank statements supported accusations.
Bashir’s dismissal
That same year Bashir, who rose to prominence through the interview, eventually retired as the BBC’s religious affairs correspondent. He took sick leave, recovered from heart surgery, and endured a Covid-19 infection before being hospitalized. He was dismissed by the BBC following a two-month internal investigation. A subsequent ITV documentary, Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess, alleged that measures were taken to ensure Diana’s participation in the interview.
Money to atone for guilt
In 2022 the BBC donated €1.64 million to seven charities connected to Diana and issued an apology for the controversy surrounding the interview. A year earlier, the network publicly apologized to Charles and his sons, William and Harry, for the deception involved in obtaining the interview and for failing to meet high standards of honesty and transparency in its reporting.
Case re-opened
Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, who has accused the BBC of illegal actions, supported Webb’s investigation and called for a police inquiry. He criticized the corporation for cutting costs while spending on costly legal defense, describing the conduct as obscene during an appearance on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House program. The BBC had provided a limited set of messages to Webb, but it later emerged that more than 3,000 emails existed and were not delivered because they were deemed irrelevant or legally privileged.
In the ongoing discourse, the debate about media ethics, royal privacy, and journalistic accountability continues to unfold across news outlets and popular culture representations alike.