Diana, Princess of Wales, King Charles’ first wife and the mother of the future king, Prince William, has been dead since 1997, yet controversies over her still arise to this day.
A journalist, Andrew Webb, filed a Freedom of Information request with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Andrew Webb asked for over 3000 e-mails concerning an interview with Diana that Martin Bashir undertook for the BBC program Panorama that aired in August of 1997 to be released to the public.
As previously reported by Monsters and Critics, Prince William himself thinks the BBC acted in a “deceitful” way over the handling of this interview.
The interview is most remembered as the one where Diana famously said there were three people in her marriage, meaning herself, the now King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Lord Dyson, former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, delved into the actions of Martin Bashir, the man who interviewed Diana, and found that he secured the interview through deceitful measures.
The Guardian reports that Lord Dyson concluded that “Martin Bashir mocked up fake bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, to gain access to the princess.”
A Judge calls BBC ‘inconsistent and unreliable’
Martin Bashir left the BBC in 2021 after the 25th anniversary of his fateful interview with Diana. The BBC cited health issues as the reason.
Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, suspected that the BBC covered up deceitful activity by Martin Bashir and hid certain e-mails.
The Standard reports that Judge Brian Kennedy said: “The corporation had been ‘inconsistent, erroneous and unreliable’ in the way it dealt with the initial request to release material under Freedom of Information (FOI) law.”
In a statement by the BBC, after the judge ordered more e-mails to be released, the BBC “accepted mistakes had been made but said it is considering the judgment.”
Earl Spencer has expressed concern that the integrity of the BBC is at stake and that they are “hiding behind expensive lawyers,” per the Daily Mail.
Omid Scobie’s Endgame alleges Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle were told to dress like Diana
Omid Scobie, the beleaguered author of Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, has alleged that the ladies, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, are styled after the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
PEOPLE reported that “Diana cosplay has become a royal staple,” according to Omid in Endgame, and that the palace “leverages” the unending style and popularity of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Kate has tried to emulate Diana’s looks. One look that Diana loved was wearing polka dots, and Kate does that quite often.
An example from the Instagram of the Prince and Princess of Wales where the style and elegance of Kate Middleton is showcased.
In a quote to PEOPLE, Bethan Holt doesn’t see this as the negative that Omid is trying to portray.
“I think we have seen lots of examples where the reference is very intentional, and I think that Kate uses fashion to pay tribute to Diana in a very positive way,” said Bethan Holt.