BBC set to face ‘big problem’ renewing Royal Charter under Prince William

The Prince of Wales has been fiercely critical of the BBC’s handling of Princess Diana’s Panorama interview

The renewal of the BBC’s Royal Charter will be in limbo under Prince William, an author has claimed.

A fresh investigation into the BBC’s handling of Princess Diana’s explosive 1995 Panorama interview has uncovered evidence of missing documents and continued deception at the corporation.

Author Andy Webb’s forthcoming book, “Dianarama: The Betrayal of Princess Diana,” identifies a minimum of four crucial documents that have vanished from the BBC archives relating to the Martin Bashir scandal.

The controversy continues to deeply affect Diana’s eldest son, according to Mr Webb’s findings.

BBC set to face ‘big problem’ renewing Royal Charter under Prince William

He told the Mail: “The wound we’re talking about is the vast uncertainty about whether his mother’s life had to follow the course it did or, had the BBC management done something different, it would have followed an entirely different course.”

The timing of Mr Webb’s revelations carries particular significance with the BBC’s Royal Charter due for renewal in 2027.

Mr Webb highlighted the paradox of the corporation operating under royal authority whilst lacking the trust of the future monarch.

He told the publication: “I make this reference in the book, but it’s too ironic for words that the BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Well, if the future King issuing the Royal Charter doesn’t trust Britain’s public broadcaster, there’s a big problem.”

In 2021, William criticised the BBC for its failings around his mother’s Panorama interview, which he claimed exacerbated her “fear, paranoia and isolation”.

GB News has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.

Prince William made a statement following the publication of Lord Dyson’s investigation into former BBC News religion editor Martin Bashir

The author noted the Prince of Wales is now 43, seven years older than Diana when she died, with his eldest son approaching the age William was when he watched the infamous broadcast.

Mr Webb explained: “William is now 43 years of age – or seven years older than his mother was when she died.

“His eldest son is 12. William was 13 when he watched this infamous interview go out on television. So, it’s getting into your head that this really matters; it matters to some living, breathing human beings.”

The revelations emerge at a particularly challenging moment for the broadcaster, which faces legal action from Donald Trump over an edited clip of his Capitol Hill address.

Mr Webb noted that Diana’s family “won’t be happy” until full transparency is achieved, particularly given the BBC’s claims to operate with “radical transparency” under Tim Davie’s leadership.

William criticised the BBC in 2021 for its failings around his mother’s Panorama interview, which he claimed exacerbated her ‘fear, paranoia and isolation’

The author’s pursuit of the truth encountered significant resistance from the corporation over many years. His initial Freedom of Information request in 2007 sought access to all materials from Lord Hall’s internal inquiry but was rejected.

The author renewed his efforts during lockdown, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Diana’s interview, whilst working on a Channel 4 documentary.

The BBC ultimately spent more than £1million of licence-payers’ funds during a three-year legal dispute to prevent Mr Webb from accessing certain emails.

Only days before his 2020 documentary aired, did Mr Webb receive a heavily-redacted 67-page PDF containing documents about Mr Bashir’s forgeries.

The corporation continues to withhold materials, including a letter from Buckingham Palace sent before the interview’s broadcast on November 20, 1995, whose existence emerged only through court-ordered document releases.

Martin Bashir won a BAFTA for his interview | PAThe turning point arrived when Mr Webb discovered a document suggesting Earl Spencer had presented forged bank statements to Mr Bashir. This claim, contained within Tony Hall’s 1996 meeting notes, prompted Mr Webb to contact Diana’s brother.

“I did no such thing,” Earl Spencer declared with outrage, according to Mr Webb’s account. This response exposed what Mr Webb termed the beginning of a cover-up dating from 1996.

Earl Spencer subsequently contacted newly-appointed Director General Tim Davie via email, detailing Mr Bashir’s unethical methods.

Mr Davie’s response, which Earl Spencer believed showed signs of legal drafting, stated: “Unfortunately, the account you give does not accord with the account that Mr Bashir gave the BBC at the time.”

Earl Spencer then provided detailed records of Mr Bashir’s September 1995 meeting with Diana at a Knightsbridge flat, documenting the false claims used to gain her trust.