PRINCESS Diana’s brother has urged police to investigate the BBC over the “agonizing lies” she told to get his sister’s Panorama interview.
Earl Spencer insisted police were “reconsidering” their decision not to take legal action against the station after he said lawyers had told him “clearly” “unlawful and criminal conduct” was involved.
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The Beeb this week publicly apologized to the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex for “the manner in which Diana was deceived” into having the infamous conversation with reporter Martin Bashir in 1995.
It came after an independent investigation revealed the “rogue reporter” had been faking bank statements and spinning nasty stories to gain the vulnerable Diana’s trust and secure the chat.
Despite the findings, the Met said in September it “had not identified evidence of activity that constitutes a criminal offense and therefore will not take any further action.”
And the decision left Earl Spencer, 58, determined to move on to seek justice for his sister.
He wrote in the Mail on Sunday: “I hope the police will reconsider their responsibility in this matter.
“Only you have the power to get to the bottom of this horrific scandal that made Diana feel even more exposed and alone and made her renounce those who would have cared for her and protected her. “
Bashir showed Earl Spencer the fake bank statements to gain access to his sister before telling her a string of lies – including that Prince Charles was having an affair with her nanny, then Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
The BBC this week apologized to Ms Legge-Bourke, now Alexandra Pettifer, and presented her with “significant damages” for the “false and malicious allegations”.
Speaking of his own experience, Earl Spencer said: “I feel like I’ve been cared for… presented with fake bank statements; I’ve been told of underhand payments, espionage, and horrific deception.
“But I was the one being duped all along into Mr. Bashir getting to my late sister.”
He added that Diana was “extremely vulnerable” when she met Bashir because her secrets were leaked in the press.
And in scathing comments, he linked the Panorama interview to her death.
He added: “The agonizing lies she was told by the BBC before their cameras finally rolled ensured that she came into this Panorama interview with a very distorted and misguided view of the situation she found herself in came after she was repeatedly lied to.
“This resulted in her speaking in a way that put her on a course that left her without proper protection when she needed it most. All those responsible must be held accountable.”
‘DEEP REGRETS’
As well as apologizing to Ms Legge-Bourke, the BBC also personally apologized to Prince Charles, Harry and Prince William for Bashir’s actions this week.
According to The Times, the Duke of Cambridge believed the broadcaster didn’t go far enough to question the “legitimacy” of the interview.
The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie said it was “deeply regrettable” that the BBC had not “getting down to the facts more quickly”.
He said in a statement: “I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to her, the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex for the manner in which Princess Diana was deceived and the resulting consequences Impact on all of your life.
“It is very unfortunate that the BBC did not get to the facts immediately after the broadcast when there were warning signs that the interview might not have been properly received.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “In March 2021, the Metropolitan Police Service decided it was inappropriate to open a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful activity related to a 1995 documentary broadcast.
“Following the publication of Lord Dyson’s report in May, specialist detectives assessed its content and carefully examined the law – once again seeking independent legal advice from the financial adviser and consulting with the public prosecutor.
“As a result, the MPS has not identified evidence of activity constituting a criminal offense and will therefore take no further action.”
The BBC has been contacted for comment.
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My sister Princess Diana was the victim of horrifying BBC lies for Panorama – cops must investigate, says Earl Spencer
