However, it wasn't long before their fairytale ended and both were involved in extramarital affairs. The line became infamous and one of the most explosive in an interview already full of scandal.

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He shot to fame in the 90s when he interviewed Princess Diana about her … Prince Charles resumed a relationship with ex-girlfriend (and current wife) Camilla Parker-Bowles, contributing to their 1992 separation. Lord Puttnam is said to have visited Kensington Palace with senior civil servant Sir Hayden Phillips, who was then in charge of the culture department, just two weeks before the interview was recorded, entreating her not to go ahead. The two men are said to have left the meeting thinking they had convinced Diana. "You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood and just very, very low in yourself," she recalled. In 2020, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge shared his thoughts on it, suggesting he understood but was cautious about whether it was the right choice. In November 1995, less than two years before her tragic death, Princess Diana sat down with BBC1 Panorama to share her side of the story like never before. I had never had depression in my life.”, Diana also explained how she received little sympathy from those around her, adding: "It gave everybody a wonderful new label – Diana’s unstable and Diana’s mentally unbalanced. There were also a number of concerns at the time about how Bashir had gained Diana’s trust, which prompted the internal investigation.

On November 20, 1995, the BBC managed to pull off a royal coup when veteran Panorama journalist Martin Bashir spoke to Princess Diana in her first solo interview since her marriage to Prince Charles. “There were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded,” she said, her sorrowful eyes ringed with heavy, black liner. Bashir - a seasoned journalist - asked: "Do you think Mrs Parker-Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage? A source described as ‘close to the Spencer family’ alleges that Bashir first approached the Earl three months before the interview aired, telling him that he was investigating the media’s behaviour. “BBC records from the period indicate Martin had explained to the BBC the documents had been shown to Earl Spencer and that they were not shown to the princess. Diana was at the time becoming increasingly concerned that her activities were being monitored, with film producer and former friend Lord Puttnam stating: ‘She absolutely did believe that security services were spying on or watching her. ", Diana, whose head had been pointing towards the ground, looked up and replied: "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.".

"I was at the end of my tether. The controversial interview is further examined in an upcoming documentary, Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World, airing on Channel 5 at 9pm on Sunday 11 October. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. Princess Diana’s younger brother, Earl Spencer, is said to have given the BBC journalist access to his sister under a false pretext, By

Former BBC Director-General John Birt wrote in his memoirs that Bashir had “been introduced to a former member of the intelligence services who claimed Diana’s private apartments in Kensington Palace were bugged”. ", Richard Ayre, the BBC's controller of editor policy at the time, told Channel 5: "Right at the beginning we had agreed that the princess should be allowed to be the person who broke the news to the palace.”, During the interview Bashir asked Diana if she was concerned that it would be portrayed as her retaliating at her husband.

Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. and I said, 'Oh well, fine'. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. IN one of the most honest interviews ever from a royal family member, Princess Diana famously revealed she knew Prince Charles was having an affair with his now wife, Camilla Parker-Bowles. In 1995 Martin Bashir was a young BBC reporter, a 100-to-one outsider to land the most coveted interview in the world. Diana had already collaborated with Andrew Morton on his book Diana: Her True Story, which revealed her eating disorders, depression and suicide attempts. Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded. But an internal review by the BBC found the princess never saw the documentation, saying she had met Bashir before it existed and that it played no part in her decision to give the interview. "I don't know," she replied.

The Queen's move was backed by the Prime Minister and, according to the BBC, was decided after two weeks of talks. And unfortunately, that seems to have stuck on and off over the years.”. I don't know. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. In order to see this embed, you must give consent to Social Media cookies. She said it had a “pretty devastating” effect on her, including sparking a “feeling of being no good at anything” and being “useless”.

"These accounts also say that the Princess of Wales confirmed in writing that these documents played no part in her decision.”. This was subsequently denied by the BBC and Bashir.

The BBC later claimed these were created for a separate, discontinued investigation. And she said of Martin: “He got her at a very weak moment. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Bashir’s interview was reportedly recorded without the knowledge of the then BBC chairman, Marmaduke Hussey.

She was responding to Martin’s question about Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall.

Images shared to Clarence House social media have revealed an inside look at the home décor choices of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, By The book was subsequently re-released as Diana: Her True Story. The Princess also spoke candidly of her battle with post-natal depression after giving birth to William. TRIAL OFFER: 3 Issues for £1. Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, Princess Diana's Panorama interview 'cut her off, fatally, from the protection of the royal institution,' according to her former private secretary, Aide Patrick Jephson says she must have been 'seduced' into doing the bombshell interview with Martin Bashir, The shocking interview saw Diana question the suitability of Prince Charles to be king, And she exposed Charles' affair with Camilla - pictured here together in 1975, A Channel 4 documentary is lifting the lid on Diana's iconic Panorama interview 25 years after it aired, It looks into claims that Bashir preyed on the princess's paranoia, Bashir gained access to Diana through her brother Earl Spencer, Bashir produced statements which seemed to confirm the Earl had been betrayed by a former employee, however they were later claimed to be forgeries, The Panorama programme was filmed in utmost secrecy at Kensington Palace in 1995, Diana’s private secretary and friends were kept in the dark, It has been rumoured there exists an extra 20 minutes of footage, Diana’s close friend Simone Simmons warned her of the effect the interview would have on William and Harry, Patrick Jephson resigned soon after the Panorama interview aired, Diana: The Truth Behind The Interview airs tomorrow, Prince Charles admits to cheating on Princess Diana in tell-all documentary... but claims the marriage had already 'irretrievably broken down', Patrick Jephson, her private secretary between 1988 and 1996, Panorama burnt her bridges with the rest of the Royal Family, a Channel 4 documentary asks fresh questions, Charles filmed an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby, the Queen instructed Diana and Charles to finalise their divorce, the effect it would have on young princes William and Harry, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

The level of detail divulged was summed up perfectly in Diana’s now infamous phrase: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”.

I was desperate.

Airing on Channel 4 tonight (Wednesday October 21 2020), the documentary will piece together the story behind Princess Diana’s explosive interview with reporter Martin Bashir …

On the night of broadcast though, her words sent a grenade to the heart of the monarchy. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Among the biggest bombshells: Princess Diana and Prince Charles wed in July 1981 and welcomed their first child, Prince William, less than a year later, with Prince Harry following in 1984. Read more: Take part in our shopping survey for a chance to win a fab prize. Hope Coke, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is accused of ‘cronyism’ as he puts forward 36 new peers including his brother, a handful of prominent Brexiteers and some big Tory party donors, By Now, ahead of the anniversary of the broadcast next month, a Channel 4 documentary asks fresh questions over whether journalist Martin Bashir secured his interview by referring to bank statements later questioned as genuine and exploiting her fears of being watched by the secret service. The then-35-year-old decided that instead of protecting her in-laws and husband, from whom she … “Panorama burnt her bridges with the rest of the Royal Family and cut her off, fatally, from the protection of the royal institution.”. Channel 4 airs ‘Diana: The Truth Behind the Interview’ tonight. The Sunday Times also reveals that some of Diana’s friends attempted to prevent her from giving the interview. Open that door. View our online Press Pack.

It said: “Questions surrounding Panorama’s interview with the Princess of Wales, and in particular the ‘mocking-up’ of bank statements, were covered in the Press at the time.

Diana: The Truth Behind the Interview will explore the princess’ famous BBC Panorama conversation 25 years on. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Late Princess Diana of Wales, in an interview with BBC1 Panorama's Martin Bashir, stunned the world as she gave candid details about her life as a member of the royal family.

Yes, I was in love with him.”. In a book by the late journalist Richard Lindley about the history of Panorama, senior BBC staffer Anne Sloman, who questioned Bashir at Broadcasting House, stated: ‘It was a silly thing to do. A staggering 22.8 million watched it, and it remains one of the highest-rated BBC programmes of all time. “I was at the end of my tether. James Hewitt, a former officer in the British Army, had an affair with Princess Diana. Other contenders included chat show host Oprah Winfrey and legendary interviewer David Frost. In the interview Diana admitted she had allowed her friends to talk to Morton for his book, although said that she herself had not done so. Patrick Jephson said: “The more outlandish the things she was being told, the more avidly she seemed to swallow them.”.