'I loved her': Martin Bashir says he 'never wanted to harm' Princess Diana, apologizes to Harry and William
Ex-BBC journalist, Martin Bashir, who was accused of using 'deceitful methods' to secure an interview with Princess Diana has denied all the allegations leveled against him after an inquiry into the matter. In an independent sit-down, Bashir claimed that he didn't do anything 'wrong' or 'deceitful' despite what the reports say.
The BBC had issued a "full and unconditional apology" after Bashir was trashed for allegedly using forged bank statements to secure an interview with Princess Diana. The BBC's own internal probe in 1996 into what happened was "woefully ineffective", the inquiry had added.
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What did Martin Bashir say in his defense?
Back in 1995, Princess Diana agreed to have a chat with Bashir over her divorce with Prince Charles. The said interview shot Bashir to overnight fame. However, Bashir was alleged of using 'deceitful methods' to secure the interview.
Bashir spoke to the Sunday Times about the scandal and denied any deceitful behavior he and the BBC were accused to have engaged in back in 1995. "Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I wasn’t the source of any of that, " he said. Bashir also pointed, "Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents."
Bashir then went on to say that he and his family loved the Princess and remained close aides even after the interview was aired. He then said, "I don’t feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and the complex issues surrounding those decisions, "adding that Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, putting the blame of Diana's death solely on his (Martin Bashir) shoulders was "unreasonable and unfair".
Explaining his side of the story, Bashir said, “I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don’t believe we did. Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents ... My family and I loved her.”
Prince Harry and Prince William slammed BBC and Bashir after the reports affirmed that the BBC had, in fact, used deceptive methods -- including made-up bank statements purportedly showing palace staffers accepting payment for stories about her. Basir said he is “deeply sorry” to the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, but disputed William’s charge that he fuelled her isolation and paranoia.
Talking about the payments, he said: “Obviously I regret it, it was wrong. But it had no bearing on anything. It had no bearing on [Diana], it had no bearing on the interview.”
He said he is now concerned the scandal will overshadow the content of what Diana said in the interview.
“She was a pioneering princess. When you think about her expressions of grief in her marriage, when you think about the admission of psychiatric illness – just extraordinary! And her sons have gone on to champion mental health,” he said. “I don’t understand what the purpose of this is ultimately? OK, maybe you want to destroy me, but outside of this, what’s the point? I did something wrong … but for pity’s sake, acknowledge something of the relationship we had and something of what she contributed through that interview. One of the saddest things about all of this has been the way the content of what she said has almost been ignored," he stated.
On May 20, BBC's Director-General Tim Davie issued a public apology over the matter, which said, "The BBC should have made greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and been more transparent about what it knew. While the BBC cannot turn back the clock after a quarter of a century, we can make a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today."
