The British Royal family is no stranger to scandals and controversies- mostly for rather unpleasant reasons.
Almost every generation of the House of Windsor has been plagued with scandals of almost all varieties. The last couple of years, however, have been no less than a rollercoaster, from Meghan Markle walking herself down the aisle to the tactless Mail on Sunday scandal revealing private details of Meghan’s confidential letter to Prince Harry and his new wife denouncing their royal titles, we’ve seen it all.
What’s the Latest Tea?
The late Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has accused the British Broadcasting Corporation of creating and utilizing fake documents to secure Princess Diana’s TV interview with BBC1 Panorama, conducted back in 1995.
Charles, who is the 9th Earl Spencer, dispatched a scornful letter to the head of the BBC, denouncing his office for whitewashing the unethical and immoral tactics employed to acquire an audience with the late Princess.
The interview holds much significance because in it, Diana had commented that there were “three of us” in her marriage to Prince Charles, undoubtedly referring to Camilla Parker Bowles, infamous for being the Prince’s mistress at the time.
During the interview, the Princess of Wales remained candid about every aspect of her private life, from her struggle with bulimia to her relationship with Prince Charles. Breaking the Royal Family’s habit of maintaining a “tight lip,” Diana spoke openly about the failure of her marriage, to the burden of marrying a royal heir, and raising her sons Prince Harry and Prince William.
A Closer Look Inside the Scandal
Martin Bashir, the journalist who interviewed the Princess during her separation from Prince Charles, approached Charles Spencer with the false pretext that security services were tracking the Princess, and that the royal staff was giving out confidential information about their private lives.
To support his claims, Bashir presented the Earl with two forged documents made to look like bank statements. This helped him secure an exclusive interview with the Princess through her brother, Earl Spencer.
Though Martin is currently unwell and incapable of responding, the BBC has spoken with the Sunday Times to reveal that the forged bank statements and questions surrounding the interview surfaced back in 1995 as well.
According to their records, Martin had clarified to the press that the documents were shown only to the Earl of Spencer and not to the Princess of Wales. Furthermore, the records also suggest that the documents came into existence after the interview and reveal the Princess’s confirmation in writing that the documentation played no role in persuading her to give the interview.
Charles Spencer Retorts and Demands Acknowledgment
The Earl, dismissing BBC’S claims, accuses the outlet of “sheer dishonesty”. In his letter to Tim Davie, the director-general of the BBC, Charles demands an apology for the BBC’s misconduct of lying to the Princess, himself, and the global public.
Besides that, the Earl also expects an apology for the falsified bank statements and baseless claims that security services had paid off Diana and Charle’s private secretaries.