After exposing the royal media’s deceptive approach to taking the controversial 1995 interview with Diana, the former Queen of England, and her children’s sharp criticism of the media, the British government promised to look into how it would be run.
Today (Friday), the Queen of England’s grandchildren slammed the media after the publication of the results of an investigation into the BBC‘s fraudulent method of interviewing their mother in 1995.
An independent investigation on Thursday found that BBC correspondent Martin Bashir lied to Princess Diana of Wales and tricked her into giving an interview in which she revealed the details of her failed marriage to the heir to the British throne.
The study also criticized the BBC for its highly inefficient investigation into Bashir’s actions a year after the interview, as well as for covering up his actions. According to the findings, Bashir tricked Diana’s brother into thinking that Diana, who was the Queen’s bride at the time, was being spied on by his staff and was unreliable.
Diana’s eldest son William called the interview method deceptive in harsh statements. He announced: Knowing that the BBC’s shortcomings played a significant role in his fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those last year’s brings indescribable unhappiness.
The younger boy, Harry, said the interview was part of a series of immoral acts that ended in his mother’s death. “Our mother lost her life because of this and nothing has changed,” Harry said.
According to Reuters, although the BBC has apologized for this, officials, newspapers, critics and some Diana supporters have said that this raises questions about the publicly funded media outlet.
The British Minister of Justice, Robert Buckland, said that taking no action could not be an option, given the investigation by John Dyson, a former British judge.
British Media Secretary Oliver Dowden also said that during the revision of the BBC Royal Charter, which sets out the mission of the 98-year-old media outlet, they would consider whether further reform was needed.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson also stated in a speech: I’m clearly concerned about the findings of Lord Dyson’s report. I can imagine the feelings of the royal family, and I very much hope that the BBC will take all necessary steps to ensure that this never happens again.
Some members of Johnson’s Conservative Party, including himself, have expressed skepticism about the BBC budget model, which applies to all households with television. At the same time, many believe that the media is politically biased.
Former BBC chief Michael Grid told BBC Radio that a fundamental change in the structure of its management was needed.
Some newspapers were critical of the report, calling it similar to the telephone hacking scandal in Britain a decade ago.
London police said they would look into the report to see if there was any new evidence that the criminal investigation had already been dropped.
In a controversial interview in November 1995, Diana revealed her husband’s infidelity to another woman, Camilla Parker, and said that “there were three people” in her marriage.