Princes William and Harry condemned the BBC and media culture after a independent investigation on Thursday concluded that former BBC reporter Martin Bashir had used means of “deception” to secure his explosive 1995 interview with their late mother, Princess Diana.
The same investigation also found that the BBC had “failed to meet high standards of integrity and transparency” when it came to covering up fraudulent practices, involving forging documents to suggest that the A dozen close friends of hers are talking to the press.
In a video posted on social media, Prince William (aka the Duke of Cambridge) said the BBC had fooled his mother’s fears “and empowered [her] paranoid” in their attempt to get interviews in which Diana ended up draining the royal family.
William said: “In my view, the way in which the deceit was obtained significantly influenced what my mother said. “The interview has greatly contributed to the worsening of my parents’ relationship and has since hurt countless others.”
The prince said he had “indescribable sadness” to learn that “the failures of the BBC contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation”.
William said he believes the interview contains a “false story” and should not be rebroadcast.
In a separate statement, Prince Harry condemned what he called the “culture of exploitation and unethical practices” in the media that led to his mother’s death – something he said still still popular.
“Our mother is an incredible woman who has dedicated her life to service. She is resilient, brave and unquestionably honest,” Harry said in a statement Thursday. investigation results. “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ended up taking her life.
“For those who have taken on some form of accountability, thank you for owning it. It’s the first step towards justice and truth,” he continued.
“What interests me deeply, however, is that activities like this – and even worse – are still common today. Then, and now, it’s bigger than a store, a network. grid or a publication.
“Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed,” Harry said. “By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life. Let’s remember who she is and what she stands for. .”
In their own dynamite interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, Harry said he feared the media would be held accountable for the death of his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (aka Meghan Markle), after she became suicidal while pregnant with their son Archie was the result of stress and, they say, unfair media coverage from the British tabloids.
“My biggest concern is that history repeats itself,” he speak. “I’ve said it before so many times, very publicly. And what I see is history repeating itself, but much more, perhaps, or certainly much more dangerously, because then you add race and you add social media. And when I’m talking about history repeating itself, I’m talking about my mother.”
BBC report On Thursday, the company’s general manager, Tim Davie, personally apologized to Harry, William, Prince Charles and Earl Spencer for the deception that took place behind the scenes of the interview.
According to the new investigation, the findings of which were released Thursday, Bashir “cheated” Earl Spencer with false information in order to get an introduction to his royal sister, whom he later turned to used to get her to agree to an interview.
Then, when this information first came to light, the BBC “covered up investigations into how [Bashir] guarantee the interview and the correctness of the methods he used. ”
