Prince Harry strongly condemned the controversial BBC Panorama interview given by his mother, Princess Diana, in 1995, saying in 2021 that the circumstances surrounding the interview had contributed to the events that ultimately led to her death.

Diana sat down with journalist Martin Bashir for the BBC program several years after separating from then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III. During the televised interview, she discussed the breakdown of her marriage and publicly addressed Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla.

One of the most memorable moments came when Diana said, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to Charles’ affair.

The interview also revealed Diana’s unhappiness within the royal family and her struggles with an eating disorder. The broadcast attracted enormous public attention and became one of the most significant television interviews of her life.

Years later, an independent investigation found that Bashir had used what it described as “deceitful methods” to obtain the interview. The 2021 inquiry concluded that Bashir had breached BBC editorial guidelines by creating two false bank statements that were used to manipulate Diana and gain access to her.

Following the publication of the inquiry, Prince Harry issued a statement criticizing both Bashir and the BBC.

“Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service,” Harry said, describing Diana as resilient, brave and honest. He argued that a broader culture of exploitation and unethical practices had contributed to her death.

Harry said the way the interview had been obtained had substantially influenced what his mother said and expressed concern that the experience contributed to the fear, paranoia and isolation he remembered from her final years.

He also wrote that his mother “lost her life because of this,” linking the controversy surrounding the interview to the intense media attention and pursuit that followed.

Diana died in Paris in August 1997, two years after the Panorama interview, when the car carrying her crashed inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel while being followed by paparazzi. She was 36.

Harry’s older brother, Prince William, also condemned the BBC’s handling of the interview. William said his mother had been failed not only by Bashir but also by senior figures at the broadcaster who did not adequately question how the interview had been obtained.

The controversy surrounding the Panorama broadcast has remained part of the wider debate over the treatment of Diana by the media and the methods used by journalists to gain access to members of the royal family.

Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has also written about the aggressive behavior she experienced from paparazzi. In his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, he recalled one occasion when a photographer allegedly threatened to follow Diana until the day she died.

Spencer wrote that Diana was deeply upset by the incident and that he felt a responsibility to protect her from further harassment.

The 2021 inquiry did not determine that the interview itself directly caused Diana’s death. However, Harry said the unethical practices used to secure it were part of a wider culture of exploitation that he believed had contributed to the circumstances surrounding his mother’s final years.

SOURCE: Yahoo Entertainment, Christina Perrier and Ashleigh Carter, September 26, 2026.