TORONTO -- The Duke of Cambridge says a new investigation into the controversial BBC interview with his mother, Diana, in 1995 is a “step in the right direction.”
In a statement emailed to CTVNews.ca on Thursday, Kensington Palace said Prince William “tentatively welcomed” the independent investigation led by Lord John Dyson, a former Supreme Court judge and one of the United Kingdom’s most senior retired judges.
Lord Dyson will be looking into allegations made by the Princess of Wales’ brother, Charles Spencer, earlier this month that accused BBC journalist Martin Bashir of using forged bank statements and false claims to convince her to participate in the interview.
During the Panorama interview, which aired on the BBC in 1995, Diana famously said “there were three of us in this marriage,” in reference to her husband Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
A year later, Diana divorced the Prince of Wales. She died the following year in a car crash in Paris while being chased by paparazzi.
The BBC’s current director-general, Tim Davie, said the broadcaster commissioned the independent investigation “to get to the truth about these events.” The BBC has also committed to handing over all of its relevant records to the investigation.
In his statement, Prince William said of the new inquiry: “It should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the Panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time.”
According to the terms agreed upon by the BBC and investigators, the probe will consider to what extent the actions of Bashir influenced Princess Diana’s decision to give the interview and what knowledge the broadcaster had of those actions at the time.
The BBC said it will publish the investigation’s findings after its conclusion.
Bashir, who is now 57 years old and is the current religion editor for BBC News, has been unable to comment on Spencer’s allegations because he’s recovering from heart surgery and complications from COVID-19, according to the broadcaster.
With files from The Associated Press
