BBC finds lost Princess Diana letter that ‘clears Martin Bashir’ in Panorama interview scandal

PA

The BBC has found a previously lost letter penned by Princess Diana in which she allegedly suggests she was not coerced into her 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.

The note, which had vanished from the corporation’s archives, was purportedly sent by the Princess of Wales while Mr Bashir was under investigation for using forged bank statements to persuade her to agree to the meeting.

Mr Bashir has admitted commissioning the mocked-up statements as he tried to gain access to the princess.

But Diana’s newly recovered note confirms that she had not seen the false financial documents ahead of the televised interview and they played no part in her decision to speak on camera, the BBC said.

Princess Diana - In pictures

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The fake bank statements relate to a now ex-employee of Diana’s brother Earl Spencer. But the princess’s sibling has accused Mr Bashir of producing other made-up documents relating to members of the royal household to ingratiate himself with the princess.

BBC director-general Tim Davie has already announced there will be an investigation into these alleged new documents relating to royal staff.

The corporation said in a statement: “Following the announcement of the independent investigation, the BBC has now recovered the princess’s original handwritten note which is referred to in our records from the time. We will pass it on to the independent investigation.

“As there has been a lot of commentary about this note and journalists have asked about it, we thought it appropriate to put on record that we’ve now recovered it.

“We will set out further details of the independent investigation shortly.”

It declined to reveal where the note was found or to release a copy.

Earl Spencerhas sharply criticised the corporation over the Panorama affair, accusing it of being “incapable of honestly facing up to the ugly truth of this matter”.

In 1996, the BBC held an internal inquiry that examined claims Mr Bashir used false financial documents, purporting to show a then member of the earl’s staff was leaking stories, as a way to persuade the princess to talk.

Graphic designer Matt Wiessler, who mocked up the documents relating to the earl’s ex-employee, has said he was made a scapegoat by the BBC, and called on the broadcaster to apologise.

Martin Bashir illness
Martin Bashir is now seriously unwell with coronavirus-related complications
PA

The corporation previously said in a statement that Mr Bashir admitted commissioning the mocked-up bank documents and it is understood the journalist was found to have “done wrong” at the end of the process, but it is not known what sanction, if any, he faced.

There is no suggestion any of the individuals that were the subject of any of the financial documents were involved in any wrongdoing.

In an earlier statement, a BBC spokeswoman highlighted an apology the earl has received from the director-general over the mocked-up documents relating to his former employee.

The BBC has said that Mr Bashir, now the BBC’s religion editor, is seriously ill with Covid-related complications and unable to comment.

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