Panorama interview for the Crown: Who is Martin Bashir?

Wellfrom phone sex scandals between Charles and Camilla to scenes of a raging fire at Windsor Castle, season five of the crown, which released all its episodes on Netflix on November 9, brought with it some of the most explosive storylines in the modern history of the British monarchy. Among them is the insidious real-life legacy of Princess Diana’s 1995 BBC Panorama interview with journalist Martin Bashir.

In the interview, Diana shared honest insights into her failed marriage to Prince Charles. While scandalous in its own right, the interview garnered more criticism over time. The ethics and methods used by Bashir to secure the interview were determined to be “fraudulent” decades later in an independent investigation in May 2021.

After Dyson’s inquiry was published, Prince William issued a statement condemning the “extremely disturbing” way in which the interview was received and how it played on Diana’s paranoia. “The interview was a major contributor to the deterioration of the relationship between my parents and has since hurt countless others,” William added. He said the interview lacked legitimacy and should not be broadcast again, adding that the “false narrative” had been “commercialized” by the BBC and others.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, quoted the interview as “the ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices [that] it ended up taking her life.”

Below, what to know about the infamous interview.

What did Princess Diana say in her BBC Panorama interview?

Charles and Diana separated in 1992, but two years later, in June 1994, the Prince of Wales stunned audiences when he admitted to an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles during a TV interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. Diana spoke openly about it for the first time with Bashir, who said: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” She also admitted to her own affair with military officer James Hewitt.

Diana also touched on her mental health, noting her struggles with postpartum depression, bulimia, and self-harm. She said she has struggled with media attention since the marriage began when she was 19.

More controversially, the royal said she thought the monarchy would benefit from the changes, even if it was “scary” for the institution, and that she believed the palace was working against her and interfering with her communications.

Nearly 23 million viewers tuned in to hear Diana speak on these issues. After the interview, the Queen reportedly wrote to Diana and Charles weeks later, urging them to seek a divorce – an event described in the final season of The crown.

Read more: In season 5, The crown is richer than ever—despite the disappointing queen

How did Bashir get Diana to agree to the interview?

In September 1995, Bashir presented Diana’s brother Earl Spencer with false bank statements showing payments from a newspaper group to a former member of his staff in order to gain his trust and get closer to the royal. He cemented this by showing payments made to Diana and Charles’ personal secretaries.

The false statements were unwittingly created by graphic designer Matt Wisler, who freelanced for the BBC. Whistler claims he did not know what the designs would be used for and he “emphasized to Mr. Bashir that this was a personal favor.” When Whistler saw Diana’s interview on air, he linked it to the bank statements and reported his concern to the BBC.

This led to an investigation by Tim Gardam, then head of weekly programs at BBC News and Current Affairs, and two other BBC executives. Bashir admitted to falsifying the documentaries but lied and insisted not to show them to anyone. He then secured a letter signed by Diana saying she had “no regrets” about doing the interview.

Gordon accepted this as evidence until 1996 when rumors surfaced Mail on Sunday to conduct further investigations that forced Bashir to admit that he had shown false statements to Earl Spencer. An internal investigation concluded that Bashir’s dealings were fair, but that his material in the early stages had breached BBC guidelines.

Today, these conclusions are seen as unwarranted, largely because of the Dyson Inquiry conducted by the High Court judge, Lord John Anthony Dyson, more than two decades later.

What did Dyson’s investigation conclude?

More than 20 years later, Bashir’s practices have been called to account. Dyson’s inquiry was prompted by Earl Spencer’s claims that Bashir had shown him the fake documents to “groom” him and secure the royal interview, of which he only received evidence in October 2020, due to documents published by the BBC in result of a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request. The investigation concluded that Bashir “lied and perpetuated the lie until he realized it was no longer tenable.”

He added that the internal investigation was inadequate because Earl Spencer was not interviewed, which was a “big mistake.” It also stated that the BBC had covered up Bashir and therefore “failed to meet the high standards of integrity and transparency that are its hallmark”.

In response, Bashir apologized and called his forgery a “stupid act”, but insisted it had not influenced Diana’s decision to do the interview. Bashir resigned a week before the report was published, citing health problems. Meanwhile, the BBC sent letters of apology to Prince William and Harry, as well as Earl Spencer, and returned all awards received from the interview, including the 1996 BAFTA.

Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com.