CRBC News
Culture
Society
Security
Health
Conflict
Science
Technology
Politics
Environment
Lifestyle
Economy

New Book Alleges BBC 'Betrayal' Left Princess Diana Vulnerable — Fresh Claims About the 1995 Panorama Interview

Andy Webb's new book, Dianarama, alleges that Martin Bashir used deceptive tactics to secure Princess Diana's 1995 Panorama interview and that BBC figures assisted in gaining access to her. A 2021 BBC inquiry found Bashir employed "deceitful methods," including allegedly forged documents. Webb and Charles Spencer say the deception left Diana more vulnerable in the months before her 1997 death; the book compiles newly reported material to support that claim.

04:32 AM, 11/25/2025Society
New Book Alleges BBC 'Betrayal' Left Princess Diana Vulnerable — Fresh Claims About the 1995 Panorama Interview

Investigative journalist Andy Webb argues in his new book that Princess Diana suffered "lethal consequences" after her 1995 interview for the BBC programme Panorama. Webb contends the interview — which exposed intimate details of Diana's marriage and her struggles with an eating disorder — was obtained through deception that left the princess increasingly vulnerable in the months before her death.

In Dianarama: Deception, Entrapment, Cover-Up—The Betrayal of Princess Diana, Webb says Panorama reporter Martin Bashir used misleading tactics to persuade Diana to take part and that he manipulated her brother, Charles Spencer, to gain access to the princess, according to People magazine.

A 2021 BBC inquiry found that Bashir employed "deceitful methods" and breached editorial guidelines to secure the interview. The report concluded that Bashir allegedly forged a bank statement suggesting palace staff were spying on Diana, asserted that Prince Charles wanted to kill her, and claimed Prince William's watch had been used as a surveillance device.

"There were three of us in this marriage — so it was a bit crowded," Princess Diana famously told Bashir during the interview.

Webb describes the period after the interview as chaotic. "Her life became untethered," he told People, adding that the time between the Panorama broadcast and Diana's death was marked by intense upheaval and new revelations he believes deserve a full account.

Charles Spencer told People that "high-ranking people in the BBC participated in securing this interview through appalling deception," and said he was "sure that this led directly to Diana being left vulnerable in Paris on the night she died."

Diana married Prince Charles in 1981; the couple separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalised in 1996. The interview's disclosures are widely believed to have hastened moves within the royal family to encourage the couple to formalise their separation.

Princess Diana died in August 1997 after a high-speed car crash in Paris during a pursuit involving paparazzi. Webb's book compiles newly reported material to argue that the methods used to secure the Panorama interview contributed to Diana's increased exposure and risk in the months that followed.

Sources: Andy Webb's Dianarama and reporting by People magazine; findings of the 2021 BBC inquiry.

Similar Articles

Trending