Diana Bin 'Fraud Interview' Concealment Allegation... UK Court Orders BBC to Disclose Materials

1995 Document Forged to Secure Diana Interview
Court Orders "Emails Between Host and BBC" to Be Released
Camilla Affair Revealed in Interview at the Time... 'Shock'

In relation to the scandal that the 1995 interview conducted by the British BBC with Princess Diana was fraudulently arranged, a UK court has ordered the BBC to disclose thousands of emails and other previously undisclosed materials.

On the 10th (local time), according to UK Sky News and the daily Telegraph, Brian Kennedy, a judge of the UK High Court handling administrative cases, ruled that the BBC must disclose 3,200 emails exchanged during the process of responding to this scandal in 2020. The emails to be disclosed include those exchanged between Martin Bashir, the broadcaster who triggered the scandal, and senior BBC officials.

On August 30, 2022 (local time), during the 25th anniversary week of Princess Diana, two citizens are viewing a portrait and memorabilia of Princess Diana displayed at the main entrance of Kensington Palace in London, UK.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Judge Kennedy pointed out in his ruling that the BBC's response was "inconsistent, incorrect, and unreliable." In response, the BBC stated that it is "carefully reviewing the court's decision."

Previously, Andrew Webb, a journalist and filmmaker investigating this scandal, requested information disclosure from the BBC under relevant laws, but the BBC refused. Regarding this, Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer and Diana's brother, raised his voice in a media interview, saying that the BBC's failure to disclose the emails in question "raises suspicions of a cover-up of a cover-up."

The Diana interview fraud scandal involves allegations that Martin Bashir, the presenter of the BBC's 'Panorama' program in 1995, deceived the Spencer family to arrange Diana's 'interview of the century.'

In the interview at the time, Princess Diana revealed her unhappy marriage with her husband, Prince Charles (now King Charles III), and extramarital affairs, shocking the UK and the world. Diana famously said about the affair between Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Camilla), "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," which became a major topic.

On September 20th (local time), King Charles III and the Queen consort made a state visit to France.
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

However, starting from 1996, allegations arose that Bashir had forged documents to secure Diana's participation.

Earl Spencer revealed that Bashir showed him false bank documents related to Diana's former secretary and lied about the royal family, including claims that Diana was under surveillance by intelligence agencies. Bashir initially admitted to forging documents but claimed he never showed them to Earl Spencer.

The BBC first acknowledged that Earl Spencer had received forged bank documents only in 2020, 24 years later. Subsequently, during the 2021 investigation related to this case, it was confirmed that the BBC concealed Bashir's fraudulent actions. Bashir resigned from the BBC in 2021.

Since then, Bashir has said regarding the forged bank documents that "it was a stupid thing and I deeply regret it," but he has not changed his claim that "(the forgery) had nothing to do with Diana's personal choice to participate in the interview."

Meanwhile, in July last year, the BBC donated ?1.42 million (about 2.23 billion KRW) earned from the fraudulently arranged Diana interview evenly to seven organizations related to Diana during her lifetime. The donations were given to the Royal Ballet, children's hospitals, homeless youth support foundations, AIDS foundations, cancer centers, and the Diana Award established in her memory.

Additionally, the BBC promised never to broadcast this interview again and compensated individuals harmed by the interview, including Diana's former secretary and the nanny who cared for Diana's sons. In 2021, Prince William strongly criticized the BBC interview as a major factor that worsened his parents' relationship.

Princess Diana, who eventually divorced Charles in 1996, died on August 31, 1997, in the Alma Tunnel in Paris, France, when the car she was in crashed into the central divider while fleeing paparazzi at high speed.

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