The Duke of Sussex welcomed the inquiry which found former BBC journalist Martin Bashir deceitfully obtained an interview with his mother Princess Diana. Harry said the findings were the “first step towards justice” but warned of bad media practices still being around now. He said: “Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. “She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest.
“The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.
“To those who have taken some form of accountability, thank you for owning it.
“That is the first step towards justice and truth.
“Yet what deeply concerns me is that practices like these – and even worse – are still widespread today.
“Then, and now, it’s bigger than one outlet, one network, or one publication.
“Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed.
“By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life.
“Let’s remember who she was and what she stood for.”
Diana’s oldest son Prince William did not hold back as he also issued a statement criticising the BBC for its failings around his mother’s Panorama interview.
He added it made her “fear, paranoia and isolation” worse.
William said he was left with “indescribable sadness” to know the BBC had “contributed significantly” to Diana, Princess of Wales’ state of mind in the final years of her life.
He said: “She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.”
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The BBC has written to the Royal Family to apologise for the circumstances around the interview.
During the interview, Diana spoke about her failed marriage to Prince Charles as she famously said: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”, which was a reference to Camilla- who Charles later married.
William added in his statement: “The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.
“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.
“But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.
“In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important.
“These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too.”
More to follow…
