The BBC was due to air a Panorama investigation this week examining the 1995 interview between the Diana, Princess of Wales and Martin Bashir. Now the investigation has been delayed due to a “significant duty of care issue” according to the BBC. They have not announced if and when the investigation will be aired.
The news of the programme’s postponement comes after an inquiry headed by Lord Dyson, a former Supreme Court Judge, comes to an end. It is understood that Lord Dyson’s findings are now with The BBC awaiting publication.
Last year, The Sunday Times reported that Mr Bashir faked bank statements to convince Earl Spencer, Diana’s younger brother, that members of his staff were being paid by newspapers to talk about the family. It was these bank statements that were used to help secure the interview.
In that interview, Diana revealed, among other bombshells, that there were “three of us” in her marriage to the Prince of Wales, confirming his affair with then-Camilla Parker Bowles; that she’d had her own extramarital affairs; and that she didn’t think she’d be queen, though she wanted to be “a queen in people’s hearts.”
When it was announced that the Panorama investigation was going to be delayed, Earl Spencer took to Twitter saying: “Well there’s a surprise. What’s next? My guess: a rush by the BBC Director General to get Lord Dyson’s report out, before its expected publication date on Friday, so he can claim, with apparent regret: “Sadly this Panorama is now no longer relevant”.
Earl Spencer also shared an opinion piece from The Times that claims not airing the investigation “shames the BBC.”
Martin Bashir left The BBC earlier this month on health grounds. He has recently suffered badly from the impact of Covid-19 and is recovering from heart surgery.
