Prince William ‘personally penned’ his BBC criticism over Princess Diana’s interview and wants ‘lessons to be learnt’
PRINCE William "personally penned" his criticism of the BBC over Princess Diana's Panorama interview and wants "lessons to be learned".
In a heartfelt outpouring, the Duke of Cambridge, 38, told of his "indescribable sadness" that his mother had been tricked and deceived by Martin Bashir and failed by the BBC and its leaders.
🔵 Read our Royal Family live blog for the latest updates
The future king said the lies about the Royal Family "played on her fears and fuelled paranoia" and he insisted the BBC's failings "not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down".
And it was Prince William who personally wrote the first draft of his damning statement before handing it over to Kensington Palace staff to make amendments, the reports.
It comes as:
- Harry insisted the Oprah interview was done "compassionately" to leave room for reconciliation with his family
- William confessed "lockdown has tested everyone" as he spoke about the impact of the pandemic on mental health
- The BBC licence fee could be cut for five years after Martin Bashir's Princess Diana Panorama probe "tarnished" its reputation
- Princess Diana's brother called on Scotland Yard to investigate the BBC over the Panorama interview
- The Royal Family is "struggling to understand" what Prince Harry hopes to achieve with his tell-all interviews
The father-of-three, who was just 13 at the time of the broadcast and 15 when his mother died, spoke candidly in news reports last night following the publication of Lord Dyson’s damning report.
The report found Bashir forged bank statements, told Diana she was being spied on and that Prince Charles was having an affair with Tiggy Legge-Bourke — Harry and William’s nanny.
Bashir spun malicious tales in a bid to win her trust and secure a world-exclusive interview amid her divorce from Prince Charles.
"The whole thing has been very painful for him personally.
"The idea that she thought everyone was listening in to her conversations – including him, as a child, he has found very difficult to come to terms with.
"There’s that – and then the commercialisation of it all that also really bothered him.
"The fact that the BBC not only covered it up but along with Bashir kept on getting loads of glory for the scoop."
The six-month independent inquiry conducted by Lord Dyson found the BBC "did not scrutinise" Bashir despite knowing he lied three times.
The BBC has now written apology letters to Prince William, Harry, the Queen and Prince Charles.
Palace sources confirmed the members of the royal family had received letters - but said they would not be released.
The Duke of Cambridge grinned today as he arrived for his first royal engagement of a seven-day tour of Scotland - just hours after his Prince Harry released a string of revelations about Royal life.
William was seen smiling and laughing during a visit to Spartans Football Club's Ainslie Park Stadium in Edinburgh, where he heard about initiatives championing mental health ahead of the weekend's Scottish Cup Final.
It comes after Prince Harry's mental health project, which he teamed up with Oprah on, was released last night.
Prince Harry spoke out in The Me You Can't See episode with Oprah - with the episode seeing the royal claim he felt compelled to step away from the Royal Family as he was "controlled through fear" and told not to talk about his "trauma".
Experts have said the Duke of Sussex's revelations would have left his family "tearing out their hair".
opened up about his struggles with his mental wellbeing and claimed his father Prince Charles left him to "suffer" amid "total neglect" for his mental health.
He also spoke about Meghan's struggles with mental health - and said the palace was at fault for making her "cry into her pillow" at night after the royal couple recorded their interview with Oprah earlier this year.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
He accused his family of "total neglect" when he reached out to try and get help for Meghan, who was then pregnant with their son Archie.
He singled out Charles, .