It’s been over two decades since Princess Diana sat down with journalist Martin Bashir to deliver, arguably, her most controversial interview ever.
In that now-infamous exchange, the late Princess of Wales made statements on her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, detailed the royal’s continuous infidelity with the now Duchess Camilla—including the famous line, “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”—as well as admitting to her own affair with army officer James Hewitt.
This week, Diana’s close friend Simone Simmons has claimed, for the first time, that the royal regretted ever sitting down with Bashir due to the rift it caused between herself and her eldest son, Prince William.
“William was absolutely livid,” Simmons said, per Vanity Fair. “Of course it was in all the papers and William told me he was teased at school because of it. He felt really bad for his mum because of what she had gone through, but he was furious with her. People at school were calling her all sorts of names.”
“The weekend after it went out they had a big row at Kensington Palace,” she added. “William was furious and Diana was distraught. I was there the day after she spoke to him and Diana was in a terrible state.”
The claims follow weeks of campaigning by Diana’s brother Earl Spencer for an independent inquiry into how Bashir convinced Diana to participate in the interview.
That call for an investigation into Bashir’s actions includes allegations against the interviewer and the BBC, who Earl Spencer alleges lied and committed deception to persuade the royal into the tell-all.
“While I knew that Martin Bashir used fake bank statements and other dishonesty… what I found out only two weeks ago… is that the BBC also knew,” he tweeted this week. “Not only knew about it but that they covered it up.”
Earl Spencer also spoke with the Mail, alleging that Bashir told 32 lies to the royal, including that she was being spied on by the royal family and that MI6 had secretly recorded Prince Charles discussing the “end game.”
He also alleges that Bashir used fake bank statements to reportedly prove the palace was selling stories to the press.
The BBC has since pledged to hold a full independent investigation into how Bashir obtained the career-defining interview.
“The BBC is taking this very seriously and we want to get to the truth,” said Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general. “We are in the process of commissioning a robust and independent investigation.”
Bashir is currently unable to answer questions as he reportedly underwent quadruple bypass surgery earlier this year and also contracted COVID-19.
According to Vanity Fair, Prince William and Harry are “following developments in the story closely.”
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