The BBC has come under fire for refusing to publish a letter sent by Buckingham Palace just days before the interview between Princess Diana and Martin Bashir.
The BBC is at the center of a cover-up scandal after refusing to publish an explosive letter it received from Buckingham Palace days before Martin Bashir’s interview with the late Princess Diana.
The letter was reportedly sent to then-secretary-general John Burt four days before the late princess’ legendary 1995 interview detailing grim insights into her marriage to Prince Charles. Tensions between the Palace and the BBC were at an all-time high at the time the letter arrived, with Princess Diana confirming to royal aides that she had indeed agreed to an interview with Martin Bashir just days earlier. It is being
The letter is believed to have come from Queen’s Office and was confirmed in a 10,000-page redacted document released by the broadcaster last week. And this came after a long battle between the BBC and investigative journalist Andy Webb.
So yesterday (January 3), historians and activists put pressure on the BBC to end its “cover-up” and publish the letter sent by the palace. The Mail on Sunday reported that the document was sent to Sir John Burt on 16 November 1995, but Sir John Burt decided not to tell BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey about the interview. revealed that he had done so.
This was because he was afraid of informing his wife, who was the queen’s senior lady-in-waiting at the time. During her interview, the late Queen was so furious that she reportedly stripped the BBC of its exclusive rights to the production of the annual Christmas speech, reportedly seeing this as an act of retaliation. was.
But Martin Bashir’s interview was watched by more than 20 million viewers, and the Queen reportedly urged both Princess Diana and Prince Charles, who is now King, to divorce. In 1996, a year after the car crash that killed Princess Diana, the Mail on Sunday revealed that Martin Bashir had forged bank statements in the weeks before the interview, but that internal The investigation proved that the reporter did nothing. mistaken.
But 20 years later, in 2021, the BBC ordered a formal investigation by High Court judge Lord Dyson to convince the late Princess that Martin Bashir had in fact sold details of her private life to people she trusted. It was discovered that the bank statements had been falsified. .
Prince William released a statement revealing his true feelings about the broadcaster’s actions, saying he believed the interview contributed to the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. The BBC has been criticized for obstructing Freedom of Information requests regarding this particular scandal.
Under the FoI Regulations, public bodies can choose to refuse to reveal details of communications between members of the Royal Family, based on the Article 37 exemption. However, freedom of information campaigners and the Information Commissioner’s Office have since said the BBC is not obliged to cite the exemption and can release the information if it wishes.
Maurice Frankel of the Freedom of Information Campaign said:[The BBC] They are free to disclose this letter from the palace if they wish, and I think they should do so. This is a matter of genuine public interest.” Royal biographer Hugo Vickers agreed: “Of course it is possible that the letter is completely harmless, but the BBC is refusing to publish it.” That makes me wonder if he’s hiding something.” . ”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act extremely seriously. This specific exemption covers communications with the Royal Family and ensures free and secure information for all parties. We recognize the need to secure a ‘safe place’ for people to do so.” Candid information exchange. ”
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