BBC refusing to release letter from Palace over explosive Diana interview

04 February 2024 , 10:41

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BBC refusing to release letter from Palace over explosive Diana interview

The BBC is in the middle of a coverup scandal as it refuses to release an explosive letter it received from Buckingham Palace days before Martin Bashir's interview with the late Princess Diana.

According to reports, a letter was sent to the then director-general John Birt four days before the legendary 1995 interview where the late Princess detailed the harsh insights of her marriage to Prince Charles. At the time of the letter, tension between the Palace and the BBC was at its highest and days earlier, Diana reportedly admitted to royal aides that she had in fact granted the interview with Martin Bashir.

BBC under fire as it refuses to release explosive letter by Palace over Princess Diana interview (Press Association)

The letter, which is believed to have originated from the Queen's Office, was confirmed in 10,000 pages of redacted documents released by the broadcaster last week. And this followed a lengthy battle between the BBC and investigative journalist Andy Webb.

And so yesterday, (January 3) historians and campaigners put pressure on the BBC to call an end to its "coverup" and release the letter sent from the Palace. The Mail on Sunday has revealed that the document was sent to Lord John Birt on November 16 1995 but he had made the decision to not tell the BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey, about the interview.

And this was because he feared that he would inform his wife who was at the time the senior lady-in-waiting to the Queen. At the time of the interview, the late Queen was said to be furious and removed the BBC's exclusive rights to the production of her annual Christmas speech, which reportedly was seen as an act of revenge.

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BBC interviewer Martin Bashir interviewed the late Princess Diana in 1995 (Getty Images)

However, Martin Bashir's interview was seen by more than 20 million viewers which reportedly prompted the Queen to urge both Princess Diana and Prince Charles, who has now been made King, to divorce. Back in 1996, one year after after Princess Diana's car crash which resulted in her death, the Mail on Sunday revealed that Martin Bashir had faked bank statements weeks before the interview, but after an internal inquiry, it was proved that the reporter has done nothing wrong.

But 20 years on, the BBC ordered an official investigation by High Court judge Lord Dyson in 2021, which found that Martin Bashir had in fact, faked bank statements in order to convince the late Princess that those she trusted were selling details of her private life.

Prince William had issued a statement that laid out his his true feelings of the broadcaster's conduct and said that he believed the interview had contributed to the breakdown of his parent's marriage. The BBC has been criticised for the obstruction of the Freedom of Information requests regarding this particular scandal.

Under FoI rules, public bodies can opt to refuse to reveal details of communications between members of the Royal Family, under Section 37 exemption. But Freedom of Information campaigners and the Information Commissioner's Office has since said that the BBC was not obliged to cite the exemptions and was able to release the information if it chose to do so.

Maurice Frankel, of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, said: "[The BBC] are free to disclose this letter from the Palace should they wish, and I think they should. It's a matter of real public interest." And this was backed up by Royal biographer Hugo Vickers, who said: "It could of course be that the letter is perfectly harmless but the BBC's refusal to release it makes one think they have something to hide."

A BBC spokesman said: "We take our responsibilities... under the Freedom of Information Act extremely seriously. This specific exemption covers correspondence with the Royal Household, recognising the need for all parties to have a 'safe space' to ensure a free and frank exchange of information."

Lucretia Munro