Judge leading Princes Diana interview probe has family links to the BBC: Lord Dyson’s brother-in-law was on broadcaster’s staff at time of Martin Bashir’s controversial 1995 exclusive
- Judge Lord Dyson’s brother David Levy was in charge of public policy at BBC
- Mr Levy previously worked on number of BBC programmes, including Newsnight
- Brother Earl Spencer alleged Mr Bashir showed him fake financial documents
The judge leading the Princes Diana interview probe has family links to the BBC, it has been revealed.
Judge Lord Dyson’s brother David Levy was in charge of public policy and regulation at the BBC until 2007.
And in 1995 when journalist Martin Bashir secured the controversial exclusive Panorama interview with Diana, Mr Levy was the head of policy development, reports The Telegraph.
Mr Levy had previously worked on a number of BBC programmes, including Newsnight.
Judge Lord Dyson’s (left) brother David Levy (right) was in charge of public policy and regulation at the BBC until 2007
Diana’s brother Earl Spencer has alleged Mr Bashir showed him fake financial documents and told untrue stories about the royal family to gain access to Diana.
The fake documents falsely suggested Diana’s then private secretary – and another royal household member – were being paid by the security services to spy on the princess, something that played on Diana’s fears about her safety and privacy.
Former BBC director-general Lord Hall led a 1996 internal BBC investigation into the circumstances surrounding Diana’s Panorama appearance, which sent shockwaves through the royal family with her revelations about the state of her marriage.
The Duke of Cambridge also released a statement saying he hoped the investigation would get to the truth of the matter.
The BBC has appointed Lord Dyson, a retired judge and former master of the rolls, to lead an investigation to discover what steps the BBC and Mr Bashir took to land the interview.
Diana’s brother Earl Spencer has alleged Mr Bashir showed him fake financial documents and told untrue stories about the royal family to gain access to Diana for the Panorama interview (pictured)
Last week Lord Dyson said he intended to conduct a full independent inquiry.
However Andrew Bridgen, the Tory MP, told The Telegraph: ‘The whole point of an independent inquiry is that it should be above reproach. A perception of a conflict of interest like this casts doubt on the validity of inquiry’s outcome before it has even started.’
When contacted by MailOnline the BBC said that Mr Levy was not in an editorial role at the time of the interview in 1995.
A BBC spokesman added: ‘Lord Dyson is an eminent and highly respected lawyer who was Master of the Rolls and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, and it is on that basis that the BBC Board has appointed him to chair its independent investigation.’
Last week Lord Dyson (pictured) said he intended to conduct a full independent inquiry into the interview
Mr Levy told The Telegraph: ‘I did work at the BBC between 1987 and 2007 but my last editorial/journalistic role there was as editor of analysis on Radio 4 from 1992-94.
‘Thereafter, I left news and current affairs and worked in a series of outward-facing public policy roles with no editorial involvement or responsibilities.’
Mr Levy said he had no knowledge of the interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, other than what was reported in the media at the time. He had not spoken to Lord Dyson about the interview and did not expect to be called as a witness to the inquiry.