UK royals slam BBC over Diana interview ‘deceit’

London, May 21 (EFE).- The BBC has come under heavy criticism from senior members of the British royal family after an independent report concluded that one of its journalists had acted in a “deceitful” manner to secure an interview with Princess Diana in 1995.

The exhaustive 127-page report by former judge Lord Dyson found that journalist Martin Bashir has used false bank documents to obtain a televised interview with the princess, thus breaching guidelines, and that the BBC’s erstwhile leadership had failed to properly investigate the matter.

Dyson concluded that Bashir had gained access to Diana after showing her brother, Earl Spencer, documents falsely suggesting that people were being paid to keep the princess under surveillance.

Diana and Prince Charles’ first-born son Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, led the criticism with a scathing statement late Thursday.

“It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said,” William, second in line to the throne, said.

He added that the interview was “a major contribution” to worsening the relationship between his parents.

“It brings indescribable sadness to know 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.

“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,” he said.

In a separate statement, William’s younger brother Prince Harry, said: “Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. She was brave, resilient and unquestionably honest.