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Fresh details are set to be released about Princess Diana’s controversial interview with BBC broadcaster Martin Bashir.
The Panorama investigation in 1995 led to the beloved Royal making the admission: “There were three of us in this marriage.” The statement confirmed the then-Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles and led Queen Elizabeth to issue letters advising the couple to divorce.
However, in the years since Diana’s death in 1997, concerns have been raised about the ethics of the interview. Bashir admitted to falsifying bank statements in a bid to put pressure on the family to take part in the broadcast, which was watched by 23 million people at the time. It was condemned by Prince William and Prince Harry, with the latter saying it was a “ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life”.
BBC journalist Andy Webb brought the scandal to light in 2020, in a three-part Panorama special that reignited the controversy and sparked both a BBC investigation and a public inquiry. Webb forced the BBC to release 10,000 pages of documents shedding light on the scandal and attempts to keep it secret. Bashir has claimed that although he regrets some behaviour, criticism of the work came from “professional jealousy” and “racism”.
However, after a lengthy legal battle under freedom of information laws, Webb has uncovered “material never seen before” from the BBC’s archives, to be included in his new book Dianarama — Deception, Entrapment, Cover-up: The Betrayal of Princess Diana.
“This is a story I have been investigating for over 30 years,” Webb said, according to The Times. “The TV documentary I made in 2020 brought the scandal into the public eye and it helped answer many questions Diana’s family had struggled to find answers for.
“What really happened to Diana is something historians will pore over for centuries to come. My findings are a true first draft of history.”
The book is supported by Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, who has previously claimed that the forged bank statements led to his sister being left unable to trust her close aides.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
Released in November 2025, it will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking interview. Publisher Penguin’s Michael Joseph described the book as “the true story of one of the biggest scandals in public life and broadcasting history, revealing a cover-up of staggering proportions, and around which questions persist to the present day”.
A spokeswoman said: “It’s rare to come across a book that presents a radical reappraisal of a major historical event, let alone one written by the individual who, through dogged perseverance, brought that history to light.”
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