Piers Morgan has claimed Prince William spoke frankly to him about his late mother Princess Diana ‘s decision to sit down with Martin Bashir for her explosive Panorama interview.
The second in line to the throne is said to have hinted at concerns about the decision during a private lunch at Kensington Palace in 1996.
Writing in his latest column for Mail Online, the Good Morning Britain presenter recalled a meeting the then 13-year-old future king alongside his mum.
They are believed to have chatted candidly about the Diana’s TV exposé.
Piers penned: “In May 1996, six months after the interview aired, Diana invited me for a private lunch at Kensington Palace with her and 13-year-old Prince William.
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“‘Do you regret doing Panorama?’ I asked.
“‘No,’ she replied, emphatically. ‘I have no regrets. I wanted to do it, to put my side over.
“There has been so much rubbish said and written that it was time people knew the truth.
“But I won’t do it again. Once is enough. I have done what I set out to do.’”
(Image: Getty Images)
Piers went on to add how William was uncomfortable by the situation.
Susanna Reid’s former co-star continued: “I looked over at her son, who was staring unhappily down at his plate.
“‘Did YOU think it was a good idea, William?’ I asked.
“He pursed his lips, his cheeks reddened, and he replied: ‘I’d rather not say…’
“William didn’t need to – his opinion was clearly very different to his mother’s.”
During her Panorama interview, Diana hinted she wasn’t sure Prince Charles was suitable for the role of king, told the world ‘there were three of them’ in her marriage due to her husband’s bond with his now wife Camila Parker Bowls and spoke frankly about her bulimia and self harming.
Viewed by tens of millions around the world, the interview was seen as the scoop of the decade but lead to the former Princess of Wales being cut adrift by the monarchy.
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Recently Martin Bashir and the BBC have been accused of falsifying documents to lure the Princess into agreeing to do the TV chat.
Bashir, who recently appeared on X Factor: Celebrity alongside Vinnie Jones and Meghan McKenna, was said to have asked a graphic artist to mock up fake bank statements showing palace aids close to Diana were selling information on her.
Bashir is said to have shown these to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer to help secure the interview.
A recently inquiry by Lord Dyson concluded that Bashir was in “serious breach” of the BBC’s guidelines.
In a filmed statement, Prince William said: “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said.
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“The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others.
“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.
“But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
