The Crown is set to feature Princess Diana’s infamous Martin Bashir interview in its upcoming series despite Prince William’s alleged worries about the show, it has been claimed.
The upcoming series of the royal family Netflix drama, which will be series five of the show, will cover Martin Bashir’s infamous 1995 BBC Panorama interview with the Princess of Wales – which has now been deemed “deceitful” following a BBC investigation.
After the BBC report, written by Lord Dyson, Martin Bashir was found by the broadcaster to be in “serious breach” of the BBC’s producer guidelines by faking bank statements and showing them to Earl Spencer to gain access to Diana in 1995.
A source close to the historical drama show, written by British playwright Peter Morgan, told The Telegraph the “scripts are already out there” after being written last year.
(Image: Des Willie/Netflix)
The source added: “The team were doing the most incredible research and they’ve got it all in there: the build up to the interview, how Bashir effectively groomed Diana, the interview itself, and the aftermath are all factored in over more than one episode.”
This comes after Prince William himself launched a scathing public statement about journalist Bashir – who said the BBC’s failings around his mother’s interview exacerbated her “fear, paranoia and isolation”.
William said he was left with “indescribable sadness” to know the broadcaster’s failings has “contributed significantly” to Diana’s state of mind in her final years, adding: “She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions,”.
The Duke of Cambridge, and future king, has since called for the documentary never to be aired again saying the BBC’s failings had not only let his mother and family down but the public too – and the BBC has written to the Royal Family to apologise for the circumstances around the interview.
(Image: PA)
And a senior royal source has suggested William would be seriously troubled by Panorama interview featuring in The Crown’s storyline.
The source told the Daily Mail: “If there are any plans to continue to commercialise and exploit this, not just by the BBC but by any other outlets – upcoming episodes of The Crown, or whoever it might be – that would be of deep concern to him.”
Prince Harry joined his brother in making an angry statement in response to the BBC enquiry regarding his mum’s Panorama interview, saying: “She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest. The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.”
In Diana’s notorious sit-down BBC interview, she famously declared “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded” which referenced the relationship of Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles – whom Charles later married.
(Image: ITV)
In his damning statement to the public service broadcaster, William also said: “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.
“In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important. These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too.”
The fourth season of The Crown was released on 15 November 2020, and series five of the show is set to air in 2022.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
