Journalist Martin Bashir, who was fraudulently questioned in a BBC interview with Lady Diana in 1995, today apologized to Princes William and Harry, but said he had helped fuel the princess’s “paranoia”.
More than 25 years after an interview with Diana that was explosive for the British monarchy, an independent report Thursday denounced the “deceptive” methods a journalist used to obtain it, prompting the BBC to apologize.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Bashir said he was “deeply devastated” for the princess’s children, William and Harry. “I never intended to harm Diana, and I don’t think we did,” he told the newspaper.
William believed that the interview served to exacerbate the relationship between his parents and “fueled the fears, paranoia and isolation of the last few years” of Diana’s life. Harry, for his part, even draws a link between the death of his mother and “the ripple effect of this culture of exploitation and unethical practices.”
“I don’t think I can be responsible for many of the things that happened in your life,” Bashir said.
“It is irresponsible and unfair to assume that I am personally responsible,” he said.
The 1995 interview was viewed by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK alone.
Bashir assured the Sunday Times that the interview was conducted under the terms set by Diana and that they remained good friends after that.
The journalist worked for the BBC as a religious affairs correspondent until last week when he retired for health reasons, shortly before the independent report was published.
He criticized the BBC for handling the case and triggered a crisis in the British public broadcasting group.
An internal investigation concluded that the journalist conducted “dishonest behavior” to warrant an interview with Princess Diana in 1995, in a “serious violation” of British broadcaster rules. The investigation was aimed at clarifying the accusations made by Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, that journalist Martin Bashir used false documents and other tricks to persuade Diana to agree to be interviewed.
Spencer claimed that Bashir revealed fake bank statements linked to his sister’s former private secretary and another former royal in order to gain access to the princess.
The interview, in which Diana said that “there were three of us at this wedding” (referring to Prince Carlos’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles), was seen by millions of viewers and shook the monarchy.
