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The London Metropolitan Police announced on Thursday (4) that they would not investigate allegations of fraud linked to the impactful BBC interview conducted by journalist Martin Bashir with Princess Diana. Bashir was accused of forging documents to obtain the conversation.
“After careful consideration and in light of the advice we have received, we have decided that it is not appropriate to initiate a criminal investigation into these charges. In this case, as in all others, we reserve the right to reassess our decision if new evidence comes to light, ”London Police Service Commander Alex Murray said in a statement.
Police have confirmed that they have received accusations that Bashir falsified certain documents to get the princess to grant the interview. One of the documents cited the name of Charles Spencer, Diana’s younger brother, who filed a complaint 25 years later.
“If I hadn’t seen these clips, I would never have introduced Bashir to my sister,” Spencer said in a letter to the BBC, denouncing the “dishonest” methods. The count also said the bank statements were specifically forged to prove that the security services were paying two people to spy on her sister.
The Panorama interview was conducted in 1995 and 22.8 million Britons watched it. Diana says there were “three people” at her wedding, referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, but at the same time, she also admitted to having an affair. She also made the first declarations on the divorce, which would be finalized the following year.
The princess died two years later in a car accident in Paris. In November last year, the BBC formally apologized to the Royal Family for using forged documents to secure the interview.
Before making the decision to close the investigation, the police focused on Bashir’s conduct. The announcement came at a time when the British royal family is gaining media attention due to an interview to air next week in the United States, in which Prince Harry, 36, and his wife, Meghan Markle, 39, is chatting with Oprah. Winfrey.
In the interview, Meghan points out that Buckingham Palace is telling “lies” about her and her husband, according to the excerpt published Wednesday (3). On the same day, news also came that the British Royal Household will investigate bullying charges filed in 2018 by a former employee of the couple, revealed by The Times newspaper.
Additionally, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip, 99, was hospitalized for two and a half weeks with an infection. The prince was also “successfully” subjected to surgery for existing heart disease.