Airing on Channel 5 this weekend (Sunday, October 11), the documentary is set to take viewers back to Princess Diana’s interview with reporter Martin Bashir. A staggering 22.8 million watched it, and it remains one of the highest-rated BBC programmes of all time. In 1995 Martin Bashir was a young BBC reporter, a 100-to-one outsider to land the most coveted interview in the world. Images shared to Clarence House social media have revealed an inside look at the home décor choices of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, By "I was at the end of my tether. Diana’s close friend, psychic Simone Simmons, who had believed Diana was making a programme about her charities, told her she had “made a prat” of herself. Sophie Gallagher asks why the interview still seems shocking 25 years later, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Earl Spencer clearly had no idea of the documents allegedly being forgeries. The level of detail divulged was summed up perfectly in Diana’s now infamous phrase: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”. Yet in his 2004 book, Diana: In Pursuit of Love, Andrew Morton alleged that Bashir showed the fake statements to Diana as well as her brother. FOR many it was the scoop of the century. This was subsequently denied by the BBC and Bashir. It would later be revealed that Princess Diana herself was the source for Morton's revealing 1992 biography of the royal, but in the BBC interview, Diana confirmed that she permitted close friends to speak to the author. Breaking away from the royal family's practice of keeping a "stiff upper lip," Diana spoke candidly with host Martin Bashir about the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, the pressures of wedding a future monarch and raising young sons Prince William and Prince Harry. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Asked what evidence she had, Diana answered “a woman’s instinct”. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here. But in November 1995, Princess Diana broke ranks. And she said of Martin: “He got her at a very weak moment. She said it had a “pretty devastating” effect on her, including sparking a “feeling of being no good at anything” and being “useless”. The two men are said to have left the meeting thinking they had convinced Diana. Her scandalous interview was kept a total secret from Buckingham Palace - and within a month of it being broadcast, the Queen wrote to both Diana and Charles personally advising them to divorce. A representative stated: ‘Questions surrounding Panorama’s interview with the Princess of Wales and in particular the “mocking-up” of bank statements, were covered in the press at the time. She regretted every minute. Around 20 minutes into the interview, Bashir mentioned a biography written by Jonathan Dimbleby where he revealed Charles had renewed his relationship with Camilla. Patrick Jephson said: “The more outlandish the things she was being told, the more avidly she seemed to swallow them.”. “There were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded,” she said, her sorrowful eyes ringed with heavy, black liner. Read more: Take part in … Diana confessed to their affair in the BBC Panorama interview, telling Martin Bashir: “I adored him. Friends told one royal expert that Diana kept hold of the material, stowed in a hat box, for whenever she might need it. In fact, he recorded two interviews. “You’d wake up in the morning feeling you didn’t want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The previous year, Charles filmed an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby in which he said he had been faithful to his bride until their relationship “became irretrievably broken down”. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. There were also a number of concerns at the time about how Bashir had gained Diana’s trust, which prompted the internal investigation. "I don't know," she replied. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. “And I want to reassure all those people who have loved me and supported me throughout the last 15 years that I'd never let them down. Yes, I was in love with him.”. "You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood and just very, very low in yourself," she recalled. She also pointed out the effect it would have on young princes William and Harry. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising. Watched by 23million viewers, Diana questioned the suitability of Prince Charles to be king, admitted her own infidelity and revealed her husband’s — in a line that will never be forgotten. Largely this approach has worked, with the family circling the wagons at the hint of danger or scandal. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Yet those closest to her paint a picture of an isolated and vulnerable 34-year-old. The book was subsequently re-released as Diana: Her True Story. But what about it was so controversial? For other inquiries, Contact Us. "For instance, you have so much pain inside yourself that you try and hurt yourself on the outside because you want help, but it's the wrong help you're asking for. ", Diana's Cooperation with Biographer Andrew Morton. Diana was still part of the monarchy - but only just … “I find it astonishing that, according to them, this letter doesn’t exist.”. They were introduced to each other during a grouse hunt at Althorp, Diana’s family’s home. View our online Press Pack. During the interview Diana said she was not actually pushing for that herself - she was the child of divorce and said she did not want to travel the same road. It was widely regarded as Bashir’s big break, leading to future high-profile interviews with the likes of Michael Jackson, as well as being seen as a catalyst for the commencement of divorce proceedings between Charles and Diana.