Martin Bashir ‘helped’ Princess Diana phrase an ‘appropriate answer’ when discussing her infidelity during that controversial 1995 interview, an eye-opening new ITV documentary has claimed.
The second-part of The Diana Interview: Revenge Of A Princess, which airs on Tuesday at 9pm, alleges that the Princess of Wales received guidance from the interviewer in how to phrase her infidelity with James Hewitt.
ITV spoke to cameraman Tony Poole, who was in the room while the interview was conducted, reveals that filming had to be stopped to ensure Diana was happy with the answer she gave.
The documentary recalls the moment Diana famously said: ‘Yes, I adored him, yes, I was in love with him’, when speaking of James.
A new ITV documentary suggests Princess Diana (pictured) received advice from Martin Bashir on how to phrase her infidelity in her controversial 1995 Panorama interview
Tony Hall. who was director of News and Current Affairs at the time of the interview, says Martin Bashir was ‘deeply remorseful’ for his actions. Pictured: Diana and Bashir in 1995
‘The question Diana had a problem answering was with regards to James Hewitt, when Martin asked her, ‘Was she unfaithful?’ And she didn’t quite know how to phrase her answer. We stopped recording and after some discussion, she was then happy with how she would answer…,’ says Tony.
Speaking of Bashir, he adds: ‘Yeah… The discussion between Martin and Mike the producer I think, and Diana herself, helped her phrase an appropriate answer.’
James Hewitt, who is an ex-Army captain and Gulf War veteran, had a five-year affair with Diana while she was married to Prince Charles.
ITV’s new documentary claims the Princess of Wales may have deliberately suggested revealing the news that she’d given an interview to Panrorama on her then-husband’s birthday.
Given she had control over when to tell the Palace, Princess Diana would need to be consulted about when the BBC would tell the world.
Diana’s journalist friend Richard Kay (pictured) says the Princess, who was ‘typically mischievous,’ may have been aware that she suggested the interview air to on Prince Charles’ birthday
Editor Ian Corcoran says: ‘Martin suggested that we asked Princess Diana. He slipped out of the room to phone her and a while later he came back in, he said she had suggested a date which just happened to be Prince Charles’ birthday.’
When Richard Ayre, who is the BBC’s former head of editorial policy, is asked what date that was, he says it was Tuesday November 14, but wasn’t aware it was Prince Charles’ birthday.
He responds: ‘Oh, really? Frankly, I doubt if any of us involved actually had that date in our diaries.’
Diana’s journalist friend Richard Kay adds: ‘It may be that Bashir and co said, ‘Well, we want to announce it on the 14th of November.’ And she would have said, ‘Oh, that’s my husbands’ birthday, Yes. Why not?”
‘I’d have thought that was typically mischievous Diana.’
The two-part ITV documentary gives an inside look at Princess Diana’s 1995 interview with Martin Bashir that shocked the nation, in the process threatening the future of the monarchy and of the BBC.
Richard Ayre (pictured) believes the interview wouldn’t have been any different if Princess Diana was happy with how Martin Bashir obtained the discussion
Marking 25 years since Britain tuned in to watch Diana, Princess of Wales pour her heart out on national television, the two episodes hear from those who witnessed her fairytale romance with Prince Charles descend into rancour and ultimately divorce.
It’s been alleged that the reporter who delivered the scoop of the century, Martin Bashir, won the trust of the Princess through his use of fake documents, something the BBC has denied. Internal BBC papers reveal inconsistencies in the corporation’s account of what happened.
Richard Ayre told ITV that Princess Diana being happy with the way Martin Bashir obtained his 1995 interview ‘wouldn’t make any difference one way or the other’.
In an interview from the BBC’s archives, shown in the programme for the first time, BBC chairman Marmaduke Hussey said then-director general John Birt had initially been economical with the truth about the Diana interview’s contents.
It was only last month that the BBC publicly admitted for the first time that Bashir had told its inquiry that the fake document was shown to Earl Spencer.
BBC documents now seen by ITV and shown in the programme also suggest that the man heading the inquiry, then director of News and Current Affairs Tony Hall, made no mention of this in his statements about the matter to BBC Governors and senior managers
Instead, Hall concluded Bashir – who offered no reason for his actions – was ‘honest’ and ‘deeply remorseful’.
Hall was ‘certain there was no question of Bashir trying to mislead or do anything improper’ with the faked document.
The BBC is set to conduct an independent investigation into the events surrounding how the interview was obtained. Pictured: Martin Bashir in 1995
Of the BBC graphic designer Bashir had used, Hall said bluntly that steps would be taken to ensure ‘Matthew Weissler will not work for the BBC again.’
In 1999, Wiessler who was never interviewed by the inquiry, left the television industry.
The BBC says it has now apologised for the fake bank statements Bashir admitted showing to Earl Spencer. It told the programme:
‘We will investigate the issues raised and..this will be independent. We will set out the terms of reference in due course…( and) do everything possible to get to the bottom of this.
‘Unfortunately, we are unable to discuss any of this with Martin Bashir, as he is seriously unwell.’
‘Investigations at the time focused on whether the Princess of Wales had been misled … The key … was the Princess’ own written assertion that she had not seen the mocked-up documents and they had played no part in her decision to take part.’
The BBC say they’re unable to locate a copy of the Princess’ letter.
According to Lord Hall – it was customary at that time for sensitive matters to be aired in private, un-minuted sessions before BBC Board meetings.
Lord Birt declined to comment. The BBC declined to comment on Matt Weissler.