London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Princess Diana's note to BBC about Panorama interview recovered

Princess Diana's note to BBC about Panorama interview recovered

A previously missing note from Princess Diana, thought to indicate she was happy with the way her interview by BBC Panorama was obtained, has been found.

The BBC said it had recovered the "original handwritten note" that the princess wrote following the Panorama interview of November 1995.

The broadcaster said it would hand over the note to an independent inquiry.

The probe will look at claims made by Diana's brother about how BBC reporter Martin Bashir secured the interview.

Bashir, 57, currently BBC News religion editor, is recovering from heart surgery and complications from Covid-19 and has been unable to comment on Charles Spencer's allegations.

Earl Spencer called for an independent inquiry earlier this month and said he would never have introduced Bashir to his sister if he had not seen the faked bank statements.

The faked statements wrongly purported to show that the earl's former head of security had been paid by a newspaper group and a mysterious offshore company.

The BBC has apologised for the faked bank statements, but it says the note from the princess says she did not see them and insisted they played "no part in her decision to take part in the interview".



The BBC's not saying how the letter came back into its possession - but it clearly hopes it will help its case when the independent investigation looks into the allegations made by Earl Spencer.

The letter is believed to say that Diana was not influenced by the forged bank statements Martin Bashir had made - and was happy with the way the interview was secured.

If the princess was unaware of or untroubled by the forgeries, or the alleged deceit, it will help the BBC's defence: it says the original investigation was into whether the princess had been misled into giving the interview.

A note from her saying she hadn't would clearly weigh heavily. But the note does not address Earl Spencer's central allegation.

He alleges that the forged documents were part of a series of lies he was told by Bashir, lies that were meant to win his trust and thus gain access to Diana.

What we know of the rediscovered note from Diana doesn't address the serious allegations of journalistic misconduct Earl Spencer has made.

Nor does it help resolve the question of how much the BBC knew back in 1996 when it said the forgeries played no part in securing the interview.

Nearly 23 million people tuned in to watch the Panorama interview, recorded almost 25 years ago, on 20 November 1995.

The interview made headlines when the princess said "there were three of us in this marriage", referring to Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. At the time Princess Diana was separated from Prince Charles but not yet divorced.

Earlier this month the Daily Mail published notes Earl Spencer says he made with Bashir two months before the interview.

Our correspondent Jonny Dymond said the notes appeared to record Bashir "spinning lie after lie about members of the Royal Family, and its staff, in an attempt, Earl Spencer says, to win his trust and that of his sister".

These claims, described by the Mail as "preposterous lies", include that Diana's private correspondence was being opened, her car tracked and phones tapped.

It was also claimed that her bodyguard was plotting against her and close friends were betraying her by leaking stories to the press.

The Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, aged 36, in a car crash in a Paris underpass.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×