FALLOUT

BBC Settles With Princess Diana’s Secretary Over Interview That Caused ‘Serious Harm’

Diana’s brother claims journalist Martin Bashir presented him with forged financial documents that suggested Patrick Jephson was being paid to surveil Diana.

The BBC has agreed to pay a “substantial sum” to Princess Diana’s former secretary, Patrick Jephson, for damages caused by a shocking 1995 interview with the Princess of Wales. The Independent reports that an investigation concluded that Martin Bashir, the BBC journalist who interviewed Diana for the famous Panorama feature in which she said, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” secured access to the Royal by lying to her brother about individuals close to her, including Jephson. Earl Spencer claims Bashir presented him with forged financial documents that suggested Jephson was being paid to surveil Diana. Regarding the investigation’s finding, the BBC apologized “unreservedly” and stated, “The BBC accepts and acknowledges that serious harm was caused to Commander Jephson as a result of the circumstances in which the 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, was obtained.” The corporation paid Jephson’s legal fees and a sum that he is donating to a children’s hospice that Diana herself likewise supported.