The royal bombshell letter the BBC is hiding about Princess Diana's explosive interview scandal!
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The scandal surrounding Princess Diana's infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir has taken a new twist.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has refused to release a potentially explosive letter sent by Buckingham Palace to the broadcaster just days before the interview aired.
The letter, kept under wraps in the BBC archives for over 25 years, was sent to then-Director General John Birt.
It was penned during a period of heightened tension between the Palace and the BBC, following Diana's admission to royal aides that she had granted Bashir an exclusive interview about the breakdown of her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
The letter, believed to have originated from the Queen's office, was confirmed in a cache of 10,000 pages of heavily redacted documents released by the BBC.
This release followed a protracted freedom of information battle waged by investigative journalist Andy Webb, who sought to uncover the email exchanges between BBC bosses when the extent of Bashir's deceit came to light in 2020.
The letter's existence has sparked calls from historians and campaigners for the BBC to end what they perceive as a 'cover-up' and release the Palace letter and all other related documents.
The document was sent to Lord Birt on November 16, 1995, an intriguing date given the Queen's known fury about the Panorama interview.
The interview, watched by over 20 million viewers, had significant repercussions.
Following its broadcast, the Queen stripped the BBC of its exclusive rights to produce her annual Christmas broadcast, widely interpreted as retribution.
Shortly after, the late Queen wrote to Charles and Diana, urging them to divorce.
The controversy surrounding the interview was further fuelled in 1996 when it was revealed that Bashir had faked bank statements to convince Princess Diana and her family that members of her inner circle were selling details of her private life to the press.
Despite these revelations, a subsequent inquiry by BBC bosses, including head of news Tony Hall, conducted a ‘whitewash’ inquiry and cleared Bashir of any wrongdoing.
It wasn't until 2021, two decades later, that the BBC finally ordered an official inquiry by High Court judge Lord Dyson.
The inquiry concluded that Bashir had indeed faked bank statements to secure the interview and that the BBC had covered up what it knew about his activities.
This led to a strongly worded statement from Prince William, who asserted that the Panorama interview had contributed to the breakdown of his parents' marriage.
The Panorama interview was also recreated during the fifth season of the popular Netflix drama series The Crown, which raised concerns from the Royal Family.
According to one source, the Royal Family feared that the reputation of King Charles III could be ‘in for a battering’ as this season focused heavily on the breakdown of marriage with the late Princess Diana.
The BBC has faced significant criticism for obstructing freedom of information requests about the scandal.
Under UK Freedom of Information rules, public bodies can choose to refuse to release communications with the Royal Family under a Section 37 exemption.
However, freedom of information campaigners and even the Information Commissioner's Office have stated that the BBC is not obliged to cite the exemptions and could release the letter in full if it chooses.
Maurice Frankel of the Campaign for Freedom of Information said: '[The BBC] are free to disclose this letter from the Palace should they wish, and I think they should. It's a matter of real public interest.'
Royal Biographer Hugo Vickers added: 'It could of course be that the letter is perfectly harmless, but the BBC's refusal to release it makes one think they have something to hide.'
The BBC has defended its decision not to release the letter, citing its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act.
A BBC spokesman said: 'We take our responsibilities...under the Freedom of Information Act extremely seriously.’
‘This specific exemption covers correspondence with the Royal Household, recognising the need for all parties to have a 'safe space' to ensure a free and frank exchange of information.’
What are your thoughts on this ongoing controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has refused to release a potentially explosive letter sent by Buckingham Palace to the broadcaster just days before the interview aired.
The letter, kept under wraps in the BBC archives for over 25 years, was sent to then-Director General John Birt.
It was penned during a period of heightened tension between the Palace and the BBC, following Diana's admission to royal aides that she had granted Bashir an exclusive interview about the breakdown of her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
Princess Diana was interviewed in the television program Panorama about the breakdown of her marriage with King Charles III. Credit: Wikipedia
The letter, believed to have originated from the Queen's office, was confirmed in a cache of 10,000 pages of heavily redacted documents released by the BBC.
This release followed a protracted freedom of information battle waged by investigative journalist Andy Webb, who sought to uncover the email exchanges between BBC bosses when the extent of Bashir's deceit came to light in 2020.
The letter's existence has sparked calls from historians and campaigners for the BBC to end what they perceive as a 'cover-up' and release the Palace letter and all other related documents.
The document was sent to Lord Birt on November 16, 1995, an intriguing date given the Queen's known fury about the Panorama interview.
The interview, watched by over 20 million viewers, had significant repercussions.
Following its broadcast, the Queen stripped the BBC of its exclusive rights to produce her annual Christmas broadcast, widely interpreted as retribution.
Shortly after, the late Queen wrote to Charles and Diana, urging them to divorce.
The controversy surrounding the interview was further fuelled in 1996 when it was revealed that Bashir had faked bank statements to convince Princess Diana and her family that members of her inner circle were selling details of her private life to the press.
Despite these revelations, a subsequent inquiry by BBC bosses, including head of news Tony Hall, conducted a ‘whitewash’ inquiry and cleared Bashir of any wrongdoing.
It wasn't until 2021, two decades later, that the BBC finally ordered an official inquiry by High Court judge Lord Dyson.
The inquiry concluded that Bashir had indeed faked bank statements to secure the interview and that the BBC had covered up what it knew about his activities.
This led to a strongly worded statement from Prince William, who asserted that the Panorama interview had contributed to the breakdown of his parents' marriage.
The Panorama interview was also recreated during the fifth season of the popular Netflix drama series The Crown, which raised concerns from the Royal Family.
According to one source, the Royal Family feared that the reputation of King Charles III could be ‘in for a battering’ as this season focused heavily on the breakdown of marriage with the late Princess Diana.
The BBC has faced significant criticism for obstructing freedom of information requests about the scandal.
Under UK Freedom of Information rules, public bodies can choose to refuse to release communications with the Royal Family under a Section 37 exemption.
However, freedom of information campaigners and even the Information Commissioner's Office have stated that the BBC is not obliged to cite the exemptions and could release the letter in full if it chooses.
Maurice Frankel of the Campaign for Freedom of Information said: '[The BBC] are free to disclose this letter from the Palace should they wish, and I think they should. It's a matter of real public interest.'
Royal Biographer Hugo Vickers added: 'It could of course be that the letter is perfectly harmless, but the BBC's refusal to release it makes one think they have something to hide.'
The BBC has defended its decision not to release the letter, citing its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act.
A BBC spokesman said: 'We take our responsibilities...under the Freedom of Information Act extremely seriously.’
‘This specific exemption covers correspondence with the Royal Household, recognising the need for all parties to have a 'safe space' to ensure a free and frank exchange of information.’
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