‘No further action will be taken’ against Martin Bashir’s infamous interview with Princess Diana
The London Metropolitan Police said they will not conduct an investigation into BBC journalist Martin Bashir’s interview of Princess Diana. He was accused by the late royal’s brother Charles Spencer of allegedly using forged statements and false claims to convince her into doing a televised tell-all. According to Reuters, the sit-down on the “Panorama” program was watched by 20 million people in Britain.
In the infamous interview, Lady Diana had said “there were three of us in this marriage,” referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, whom he married in 2005 after Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Prince William, her elder son, spoke out following reports that the BBC was opening an investigation into the circumstances around the TV interview. “The independent investigation is a step in the right direction,” said the Prince in a statement obtained by People magazine. “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,” he further added.
Spencer, 56, who sought an inquiry and an apology, alleged that in the time leading up to the 1995 interview, Bashir made false and defamatory allegations about senior royals to gain Spencer’s trust in addition to access to Diana.
The allegations included: Diana’s phone was being bugged, her bodyguard was plotting against her and two senior royal aides were being paid to keep Diana under surveillance. Spencer alleged that Bashir showed him “false bank statements” to back up his allegations. In response to this, the BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, said the broadcaster was “determined to get to the truth about these events.”
Now, Scotland Yard commander Alex Murray says that “Following this detailed assessment and in view of the advice we received, we have determined that it is not appropriate to begin a criminal investigation into these allegations. No further action will be taken. In this matter, as in any other, should any significant new evidence come to light we will assess it.”
