Background of Princess Diana's 'Husband's Infidelity' Revelation Involved BBC Staff Fraud

Partial Manipulation Confirmed in 1995 Interview Mentioning 'Charles Bulryun'
Sons William and Harry Criticize BBC... "Took Mother's Life"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The conclusion has been reached that the background of Princess Diana's interview, in which she revealed Prince Charles's infidelity by saying, "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," involved fraudulent actions by an employee of the British public broadcaster BBC.

On the 20th (local time), Sir John Dyson, who was commissioned by the BBC to investigate the background of Princess Diana's interview, announced in his report that most of the suspicions raised about the interview were true. In the interview, Princess Diana revealed that she was aware of the affair between her husband Prince Charles and his longtime lover Camilla Parker Bowles (now the wife of Prince Charles). The interview attracted great attention, with 22.8 million viewers.

Previously, Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer and Princess Diana's brother, claimed that BBC employee Martin Bashir arranged the interview by lying and presenting forged bank statements. He publicly exposed this last year on the 25th anniversary of the interview's broadcast.

Earl Spencer stated that Bashir showed forged bank documents claiming that royal staff were paid to leak information about Princess Diana, and that if he had not seen those documents, he would not have introduced Bashir to his sister. He also said that Bashir lied to Princess Diana, telling her that someone had stolen her personal letters, her car was being tracked, and her phone was being tapped.

In response to these revelations, the BBC commissioned retired Supreme Court judge Sir John Dyson in November last year to investigate the background of Princess Diana's interview.

Martin Bashir Photo by AP Yonhap News

In his report, Sir Dyson evaluated that "Bashir acted inappropriately and seriously breached the BBC's editorial standards." He also pointed out that Bashir lied to BBC managers by denying that he showed forged documents, and that much of Bashir's explanations were "unbelievable, unreliable, and some were dishonest."

Sir Dyson strongly criticized the BBC's 1996 investigation, which concluded that Bashir was not at fault, stating that Earl Spencer's claims were not properly verified. He pointed out that the BBC "failed to meet its characteristic high standards of ethics and transparency."

The BBC accepted the investigation results as they were and expressed an unconditional apology.

Bashir deeply regretted the forgery of bank documents but maintained that it did not influence Princess Diana's decision to participate in the interview.

Princess Diana, born in 1961, married Prince Charles of the United Kingdom in 1981 in the "wedding of the century," but their marriage was troubled. They divorced in 1996, the year after the controversial interview, and on August 31, 1997, she died in a car crash in the Alma Tunnel in Paris while fleeing paparazzi at high speed with her then-boyfriend, Egyptian-born billionaire heir Dodi Al Fayed. Their car collided with the central divider inside the tunnel.

Prince William issues a statement regarding the investigation results announced on the 20th (local time) that Princess Diana of the United Kingdom was deceived by a BBC staff member into giving a '1995 interview' [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, criticized the BBC regarding the report on the same day. Prince William said, "I believe the deceptive interview tactics significantly influenced my mother's statements," adding, "That interview was a major cause of the deterioration of my parents' relationship and has caused pain to countless people."

Prince Harry also strongly criticized, saying, "The ripple effects of abuse and unethical practices ultimately took my mother's life," and expressed deep concern that such practices have worsened and still remain widespread.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.