Key takeaways from BBC interview as Earl Spencer defends claims about King

Reflecting on the time before Princess Diana’s death, Kuenssberg asked if the infamous BBC Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir in 1995 might have been linked indirectly to his sister finding herself in Paris in 1997.

Shortly after the interview broadcast, in which Princess Diana admitted having an affair and said Prince Charles’s affair with then-Camilla Parker Bowles made her feel worthless, the Queen wrote to Prince Charles and Princess Diana telling them to divorce.

A 2021 inquiry found Bashir acted in a “deceitful” way by mocking up fake bank statements – which falsely suggested individuals were being paid to keep Diana under surveillance – and showing them to Earl Spencer to gain access to the late princess.

Earl Spencer said he did make “a connection” between the crash and the Panorama interview and said they conned both him and Diana.

“People said, ‘Oh, she was paranoid’. She wasn’t paranoid. She was convinced that she couldn’t trust people because the evidence was there. And, you know, I think that left her vulnerable that night.”

The BBC and Bashir apologised to King Charles, Earl Spencer and Princes William and Harry after the 2021 report was published.

The BBC’s then-director general, Tim Davie, said: “Although the report states that Diana, Princess of Wales, was keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC, it is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this.”