Prince Harry dubbed 'embarrassing' for interview on CBS, the same network that aired photo of Diana dying
In the wake of the bombshell interview that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gave Oprah Winfrey on March 7, the former Duke of Sussex has now been dubbed "embarrassing" for his alleged "hypocrisy" after their tell-all interview aired on the same network that had released photos of his mother Diana, the Princess of Wales, dying.
In 2004, CBS had caused major outrage and drawn flak for showing a photograph of Harry's mother, Diana dying. The broadcaster was the first outlet to show the "distasteful" photograph of Diana, taken moments after the tragic car crash in 2007 shortly before she died, along with her then alleged boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver.
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CBS' decision to publish the photo earned the outrage of Diana's brother Earl Spencer who said he was left "shocked and sickened by CBS’ actions". When the photo of the same was later been published in an Italian magazine, both of Diana's sons, Prince William and Harry, had then issued a rare statement saying they were "deeply saddened that such a low has been reached".
This outrage prompted a statement from the network where they claimed, "these are photocopied images and none of them is remotely graphic." They also insisted the photo was "not gory" even though no British publication has ever published the photo since.
Now, in the wake of Harry allowing CBS to air a revealing interview, people are dubbing it "pretty hypocritical". Daily Mail reported that Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: "It is quite embarrassing for Prince Harry. How could he possibly co-operate with an organization which some years ago was the only outlet to publish a deeply distressing photo of his mother’s dying moment?"
"It is pretty hypocritical of him. I suppose he didn’t remember, or maybe he had no choice because of contracts signed? If he was still being advised by the Palace, they would have spotted this sort of thing a mile off," he added.
Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter also said: "The problem with American networks is that they are all about ratings, and advertising and bringing in money. It is not about decency. In 2004, it was publishing a photograph that was in incredibly bad taste. In 2021, it is running a two-hour interview with Meghan and Harry. Both will have made it a lot of money."
A friend of Prince Charles also accused Harry of "hypocrisy", busting the former Duke of Sussex's claims in the interview that his father had "cut him off" financially, reported The Sunday Times. According to the friend, Charles had continued to support Harry and Meghan long after their move to the US, as the friend told the outlet: "What f***ing hypocrisy. When Harry and Meghan left last year, they wanted to become 'financially independent'."
When CBS had aired the program featuring a dying Diana in 2004, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair had said: "I think everyone finds it distasteful that there are pictures that can cause distress to the family." The images were released as part of the CBS program '48 Hours Investigates' in a report segment called 'Diana’s Secrets'.
French doctor Frederic Mailliez lent his voice over to relay the turn of events after he arrived at the crash scene in Paris and administered emergency first aid to the princess. He had told viewers at the time that Diana "still looked beautiful" while he tried to save her life.
CBS had claimed the photo was one of the several seized from French photographers, which were part of the official investigation into the accident on August 31, 1997. "It is not gory in any way, shape or form," the publication had said.
When the photo came out in the Milan-based Chi magazine in 2006, Diana’s former chief of staff, Patrick Jephson, had said: "I feel sickened and very sad." Incidentally enough, Susan Zirinsky, who was an executive on the Harry Meghan interview, was also part of the telecast when CBS had aired the 20004 program that carried these sensitive Diana photos.