Princess Diana's brother speaks out about the events that led to her death
Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess of Wales, has shared more about the danger that surrounded Diana before her death.
Three decades ago, on 20 November 1995, Lady Diana sat down for a BBC interview that would change everything.
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History of the BBC writes: "Innocently billed as an interview with H.R.H. the Princess of Wales, Martin Bashir’s Panorama Special of 20 November 1995 contained explosive revelations from Princess Diana as she spoke at length about the state of her marriage to Prince Charles."
The Grévin Museum, a French wax museum, recently unveiled its tribute to the late Princess with a stunning wax figure.
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In their press release, they also mentioned the now iconic BBC interview:
For the first time, she spoke openly and sincerely about her personal life - a moment that changed the way the public saw her. Her now-legendary line, "We were three in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded", is still remembered today.
It's speculated that the explosive interview caused controversy behind the scenes and within the Royal Family.
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While Diana's family have not spoken too much about her death and the circumstances surrounding it, her brother, Charles Spencer, has shared his thoughts in an interview with PEOPLE.
For this week's cover story, the publication is reexamining the betrayal that stemmed from Diana’s sit-down with journalist Martin Bashir.
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The 9th Earl Spencer has decided to speak up for his late sister and has drawn an unmistakable line between the BBC interview and actions, and the dangerous circumstances surrounding her death two years later.
According to Spencer, his sister was the victim of the BBC's deception during the infamous interview, and it's taken almost three decades for the whole truth to be revealed.
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In his new book, 'Dianarama: Deception, Entrapment, Cover-Up—The Betrayal of Princess Diana', investigative journalist Andy Webb shares explosive revelations, including how BBC executives knew more than they initially admitted, and how their failure to act influenced the events that would follow.
There are high-ranking people in the BBC who participated in securing this interview through appalling deception. I am sure that this led directly to Diana being left vulnerable in Paris on the night she died - and Andy Webb is right to hold them to account.
At the time of the BBC interview taping, Diana was on edge and wary of royal officials, shaken by earlier invasions of her privacy.
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This includes 'Squidgygate', an incident in 1992 where the British tabloid The Sun published Diana's private phone conversations with her lover.
The Princess was said to be feeling watched and isolated, making her highly susceptible to claims that people within her circle were betraying her.
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PEOPLE report that Bashir used manipulation and lies to convince Diana that the interview was the only way to control her own narrative and speak her truth.
Patrick Jephson, Diana's former private secretary, said that "Bashir picked a very opportune moment to show forged bank statements to Spencer and convince him that Diana’s closest aides — including Jephson and a senior adviser to Prince Charles — were accepting money to spy on her."
She was in a state of justified anxiety. It is not paranoia if you have reasonable grounds to believe that they are out to get you.
Webb also adds that her life became "untethered" and in a state of frenzy in the time between the interview and her death.
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He believes that if the BBC executives who learned of the forged documents in late 1995 had spoken up, Diana's life could have take a different turn.
She might plausibly still be alive today — a grandmother at 64, enjoying her five grandchildren. The consequences were lethal.
After a 2021 independent inquiry led by senior judge Lord Dyson, it was concluded that Bashir forged the documents to manipulate Diana and that the BBC's internal investigations were "woefully ineffective".
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The BBC have told PEOPLE: “The BBC appointed Lord Dyson to investigate how Martin Bashir obtained the 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. The Dyson Report was published in 2021, the BBC accepted its findings in full and publicly apologised for its part in the report’s conclusions."
Diana's eldest son, Prince William, responded to the results after they were published:
What saddens me most is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.
Spencer also believes that the deception led to devastating consequences for his sister's safety.
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Princess Diana tragically died in Paris in 1997 in a high-speed car crash while travelling with her then-boyfriend Dodi Fayed.
Their driver had been under the influence and was speeding through the city while being pursued by paparazzi.
Diana's memory will forever live on, not only as 'The People's Princess', but also in the hearts of Parisians who still lay down flowers as a tribute, and with those who were near and dear to her.
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