'Brush this all out once and for all': Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer serves BBC with ultimatum to end 'conspiracy of silence' over Martin Bashir scandal
Diana gave her infamous Panorama interview in 1995
Charles Spencer has renewed his criticism of the BBC over the infamous Panorama interview with his late sister, Princess Diana, demanding the corporation finally end what he described as a “conspiracy of silence”.
Speaking at the Althorp Literary Festival in Northamptonshire, Diana’s brother urged incoming BBC chairman Matt Brittin to “lance the boil” surrounding the scandal once and for all.
Earl Spencer calls out the BBC over Princess Diana Martin Bashir interview
The Earl called for the BBC to appoint an official historian to examine every remaining document connected to disgraced journalist Martin Bashir and the methods used to secure Diana’s explosive 1995 interview.
“I think actually to lance the boil and over time the conspiracy of silence and just brush this all out once and for all,” Spencer said during the event, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Evidently, the Panorama interview is one of the most controversial moments in royal history. Bashir used forged bank statements and a string of false claims to gain access to Diana.
Among the lies, Bashir falsely suggested people close to the princess were spying on her. He even claimed that Prince William’s watch had been bugged to record her conversations.
Spencer didn’t hold back in his assessment of the journalist, branding Bashir a “compulsive liar”.
“I wouldn’t really want to give him the time of day, is the honest truth,” he said.
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your royal news
He also described the Panorama broadcast as “the worst piece of journalism I’ve seen”. He claimed there were “five suspects” in senior BBC positions who oversaw the alleged cover-up.
Panorama interview
Spencer has previously spoken about how deeply he believes the deception surrounding the interview impacted Diana’s later life and safety.
In a 2025 interview with PEOPLE, the Earl said, “There are high-ranking people in the BBC who participated in securing this interview, through appalling deception.
“I am sure that this led directly to Diana being left vulnerable in Paris on the night she died.”
Following the interview, Diana reportedly became increasingly distrustful of those around her. Bashir falsely convinced her that close aides and royal insiders were betraying her.
Meanwhile, her former private secretary, Patrick Jephson, previously said Bashir had “picked a very opportune moment” to manipulate the princess. She was reportedly already feeling isolated and anxious.
The scandal exploded again in 2021 when an independent inquiry led by Lord Dyson concluded Bashir had acted deceitfully.
Prince William was deeply ‘saddened’ by the interview
At the time, Prince William released one of the most powerful statements of his public life.
“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,” he said.
“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. These failings… not only let my mother down and my family down; they let the public down too.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC appointed Lord Dyson to investigate how Martin Bashir obtained the 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. The Dyson Report was published in 2021, the BBC accepted its findings in full and publicly apologised for its part in the report’s conclusions.”
Read more: Every rumour about Princess Diana’s ‘relationship’ with Michael Jackson
So, what do you think? Tell us on our Royal Insider Facebook page.
