Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, is said to be frustrated at the reports about the hugely successful Netflix web series “The Crown” will air a dramatized version Of Princess Diana’s 1995 interview by Martin Bashir.
The second in line for the throne of England, Prince William has expressed disgust over “commercialization” of the “false narrative” around his late mother’s life.
It may be recalled that William and his brother Prince Harry both released statements back in May regarding the Panorama interview which was watched by more than 20 million people in 1995.The sensational interview caused such a huge controversy that shortly afterwards, the Queen wrote to Prince Charles and Princess Diana telling them to divorce.
The interview was a huge scoop for the BBC because a serving royal as charismatic as Diana was speaking in such candid terms about her personal life in the Royal Family. It was unprecedented and earth shattering for the traditional British society. Diana in that single interview admitted on air having an affair and confirmed to the world that Prince Charles is having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
When Martin Bashir asked : Do you think Mrs Parker-Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage? She had replied “ Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Diana also revealed the mental health issues and said she was made to feel worthless due to her husband’s extra-marital affair. She confessed she suffered from eating disorder bulimia and that she attempted self-harm
The interview was in the spotlight this year once again, following a report that the BBC covered up “deceitful behaviour” used by Bashir to secure the interview.
Prince William had called for the episode to never be broadcast again, saying that “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”
Prince William said Diana “was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions”. He said the interview made a “major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse”. Prince Harry said the “ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices” ultimately took his mother’s life.
However the extravagant Netflix series which dramatised the Royal Family from the Queen’s wedding in 1947, with different actors portraying the royals over the years, is all set to make the
infamous Panorama interview as “the keystone moment in series five”, which is set to air in November 2022.
So far, four seasons have been broadcast with Emma Corrin incarnating Diana fabulously. In the next season, Elizabeth Debicki shall be portraying Diana. Beautiful Claire Foy and Oscar winner Olivia Colman have attempted the role of the Queen for the series so far. Now Imelda Staunton shall be taking reigns.
Coming back to Martin Bashir- Lady Diana interview ,earlier in 2021, an independent inquiry by Lord Dyson, a former senior judge, concluded that journalist Martin Bashir used deception to secure the interview and was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, to gain access to the princess for the interview.
BBC has since made an “unconditional apology” to the Royal family over the way it obtained an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995.
