Last week, we discussed the investigation into Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir, which happened in 1995. This year is the 25th anniversary of the interview, and there have been thinkpieces and documentaries about that iconic interview for a while. A recent documentary exposed the lengths to which Bashir went to secure the interview, which almost definitely involved fraud and falsifying documents which amounted to blackmailing the Earl Spencer (Diana’s brother Charles) and Diana herself. Which, as everyone points out, was kind of unnecessary because Diana actually did want to talk and give her side of things. Anyway, investigations have been launched and last week, Prince William issued a rare on-the-record statement saying that he backs the investigation into Bashir’s tactics. There were stories around that wondering “why is only William issuing a statement” and “where is Harry is all of this.” Now Harry is basically confirming that he too backs the investigation:
Prince Harry fears people are using the Martin Bashir scandal to try and “drive a wedge” between him and Prince William — by suggesting that Harry’s leaving his brother to face it alone. This week, it was revealed that William has been in touch with the BBC after the British broadcaster launched an independent probe into Bashir’s famed 1995 interview, where Bashir allegedly duped the princess into sitting down with him.
Reports have suggested that Harry’s taking a back seat — but we’re told that while William and Harry are not in constant communication, they remain united on their bid to get to the truth about the explosive interview. A source close to Harry — now living in Montecito, CA, with wife Meghan Markle and baby son Archie — told us: “Harry is getting regular updates and is aware of everything that is happening.”
They added that while William has made a public statement about the claims, “You do not need a public statement [from Harry] to imagine how he is feeling privately. People know how much his mother means to him. Sadly, some people are not just seeing this as a drive for truth, but also trying to use this as an opportunity to try to drive a wedge between the brothers,” said the source.
Diana’s furious best friend Rosa Monckton told ITV this week: “For [William] and for Kensington Palace to issue a statement I think shows how deeply involved he has become in this story and about how his mother was treated … I know people are saying she would have done an interview anyway, but she hadn’t and she didn’t … she always said no. There is no doubt in my mind at all [that] Mr. Bashir had persuaded her that she was doing a good thing, that everybody was conspiring against her … And she took it all in. She was vulnerable. It was a disgusting and disgraceful thing to do.”
I didn’t mock William’s statement and I think Harry has every right to back the investigation as well. I’m not stanning Bashir in the least – he was always a shady, slimy character and there was never any doubt that he heavily manipulated Diana, and probably a lot worse. That being said, there’s a ton of revisionist history all the way around this, mostly from the Earl Spencer. The Earl is making it sound like Bashir alone convinced Diana that she was being spied on, that she couldn’t trust anyone, that there would be bigger exposures if she didn’t speak. I have no doubt that Bashir did his part in convincing Diana of all of that, but let’s be clear about a lot of this: Diana was paranoid about people watching her and plotting against her long before Bashir came around, and she wasn’t wrong to be paranoid. They were watching her. They were plotting against her. I’ve always felt that neither William or Harry even know half of what Diana went through. Are they now at an age where they’re open to finding out?
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IMO neither William or Harry are entitled to give us their opinion or a play-by-play on their feelings regarding their mother. Plus whenever Harry speaks about his mother he gets “He’s just using her!” And “He needs to get over it.”
And William is raised to sainthood talking about his mother
William and Harry BOTH have every right to know the outcome of the investigation of course. However, I find it very disingenuous that only William is considered by the press to be the supportive one. Every time Harry as much as mentions his mother, he was deemed to be using her. William I suspect is being used as part of a far right agenda to destabilise the BBC. Bashir is/was a slime ball but regardless, Diana would have given that interview and she did speak out to a number of people including other reporters and her therapists.
And yes she was right to be paranoid. The royal doctors tried to drug her and claimed her mental health issues were hereditary!!
PS Why is the BM ignoring the fact that Charles spoke out on national TV a full 18 months before Diana did?
Well said. Exactly my thoughts too. It’s like when Harry does speak on anything, they scream he is not a working Royal and when he doesn’t, the scream poor William is alone. Well, Wills wants to be in charge so even if Harry took a back seat, I would say well deserved. I hope a good therapist is ready.
And they have no clue what their mother was up against. And yes, they are of an age to find out.
Agreed. They both deserve to know the outcome of the investigation. But it’s annoying how, when William talks about his mother, its seen as a positive, and when Harry does, its seen as “playing the Diana card” or whatever. But I do think they are both following this closely and I think part of the reason Harry didn’t give a statement like William did was because it would have been twisted into “Harry attacks press” or something.
Are they ready to find out how much their family not just their father played a part in their mother’s pain?
RIGHT. I watched the Diana documentary on netflix last night after finishing season four of the Crown and then researching everything I thought was fake (spoiler alert, it’s not fake!!!) and I’m shocked by how openly horrible they all were. Maybe the Queen didn’t have a hand in her death but I don’t doubt that Charles did.
Which documentary was this? Was this the Diana: In Her Own Words on Netflix? Those are the secret recordings Diana made with friends of hers which were then passed along to Andrew Morton who used them as source material for his book. Apparently those recordings have never been made public until now. I watched it over the weekend and for all I know she could have been lying, but it seemed early on she knew her life wouldn’t be ordinary and she always had a feeling about how her life would turn out (minus the car crash). I always forget how well spoken she was. And no, she doesn’t paint a flattering portrait of Charles at all in those recordings.
I don’t know about the source that claimed Harry’s worried about the press and a wedge between him and William. I read an article that indicated Harry’s getting his updates about this matter from Charles Spencer. So he can’t be too worried about what the press is saying.
I’m wondering why William skipped Charles Spencer and went straight to the BBC. Charles had a front row seat so he knows more than the BBC. And from everything we’ve been told, William was so angry with Diana, he actually raised his hand to her and refused to see her for some time. He also seems detached when discussing her. Somehow I get the idea he’d like his mother to fade into history. And this “concern” he’s displaying is all PR.
Someone on twitter was saying this didn’t come from his official spokesperson but a source and that it states he doesn’t need to put out a public statement on this. This makes me think they asked Harry’s people and they said no comment and they made this non statement. It’s very vague.
The BBC knew what went on to get the interview, this is them trying to save face – that interview was a major coup for them and they like everyone else would have done what was necessary to get it.
Is it too much to expect that when William finally realizes what his mother endured at the hands of the royal family , he may begin to have some insight about Meghan and the obvious parallels? Empathy?
No, Bulliam will never sympathize with Meghan, he is racist and I’m sure his thinking is the same as his stans aka the trolls on social media
William thinks his mother was a massive part of the problem (making a fuss rather than quietly accepting whatever the Royals and in particularly Charles did to her). He was very careful to marry a woman who is what the RF *thought* they were getting with Diana.
I think, like Charles,William does not like anyone other than himself getting the main spotlight. He may have tolerated it when Harry was solo and the rakish foil, but no way from his outsider American wife, who outshone both him and Kate. He probably has complicated feelings about his mom as well, so when some said M would be as popular as Diana ( I never thought that, different energy), add that into the mix as well, we have Meghan on his enemies list for life.
looking for any way to get the brothers back together, by using the mother.
I feel that the only reason we even know if Harry supports this investigation or not is because once Will said something , the press starting dragging Harry’s name into it and started, once again, saying crap like he doesn’t care to support his brother and stick up for his mother. All he said was he was aware of what’s going on and not to use this as a wedge against the brothers or think he doesn’t care about his mom. He’s not actively getting involved because he doesn’t need to and if something goes wrong, he’ll get all the blame. Some have noted that there is currently a huge right wing drive to take on the BBC because it’s too “ liberal” or not singing enough Tory tunes, so there is some skepticism of this probe, even if there are legitimate concerns. Will is such a tabloid tool and the royals are all pissed the Crown depictions, so anything to gaslight that interview and rewrite the actual turmoil of those years and that marriage.
I think Harry is playing this the right way. An official statement would only bring criticism against him from the same press that is clamouring for a statement. In addition this “campaign for the truth” is being pushed bg the very media that contributed to Diana’s death and his uncle and brother who are close allies of press. I think Harry is reluctant to put out a statement because it would be seen as him supporting the press and also participating in the right wing attempts to destroy the BBC. He had already said that he was following events he didn’t need to make a statement for the press to monetize it.