PRINCE William “personally penned” his criticism of the BBC over Princess Diana’s Panorama interview and wants “lessons to be learned”.
In a heartfelt outpouring, the Duke of Cambridge, 38, told of his “indescribable sadness” that his mother had been tricked and deceived by Martin Bashir and failed by the BBC and its leaders.
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The future king said the lies about the Royal Family “played on her fears and fuelled paranoia” and he insisted the BBC’s failings “not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down”.
And it was Prince William who personally wrote the first draft of his damning statement before handing it over to Kensington Palace staff to make amendments, the Telegraph reports.
The father-of-three, who was just 13 at the time of the broadcast and 15 when his mother died, spoke candidly in news reports last night following the publication of Lord Dyson’s damning report.
The report found Bashir forged bank statements, told Diana she was being spied on and that Prince Charles was having an affair with Tiggy Legge-Bourke — Harry and William’s nanny.
Bashir spun malicious tales in a bid to win her trust and secure a world-exclusive interview amid her divorce from Prince Charles.
A source close to the duke told the Telegraph: “The Panorama interview has always been a problem for William, it’s just until now the full extent of the problem was unknown.
“The whole thing has been very painful for him personally.
“The idea that she thought everyone was listening in to her conversations – including him, as a child, he has found very difficult to come to terms with.
“There’s that – and then the commercialisation of it all that also really bothered him.
“The fact that the BBC not only covered it up but along with Bashir kept on getting loads of glory for the scoop.”
The six-month independent inquiry conducted by Lord Dyson found the BBC “did not scrutinise” Bashir despite knowing he lied three times.
The scathing report said the broadcaster “fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency which are its hallmark”.
And it revealed the corporation “without justification” had “covered up” Bashir’s sensational lies.
“The findings are extremely concerning,” Prince William said last night.
“It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse. And has since hurt countless others.
“It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.
“But 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.
“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.”
‘TRULY DAMNING’
A royal insider told the Telegraph that Prince William wants “lessons to be learned” from the scandal.
“This isn’t a campaign against the BBC, or anyone else for that matter, but a quest for the truth,” the source said.
“This is about lessons being learned and making sure nothing like this ever happens to anyone else.
“The cover-up is one of the worst aspects about it.
“The Duke appreciates that you are always going to get the odd rogue journalist in such a competitive industry – but for the national broadcaster to have turned a blind eye to how the whole process was manipulated?
“That is truly damning.”
And Prince William will continue his battle to uncover the “truth” about how his mother was duped by Bashir, according to reports.
A source close to the duke told the Daily Mail: “He thinks this may be just the beginning of uncovering the truth.”
The BBC has now written apology letters to Prince William, Harry, the Queen and Prince Charles.
Palace sources confirmed the members of the royal family had received letters – but said they would not be released.
The Duke of Cambridge grinned today as he arrived for his first royal engagement of a seven-day tour of Scotland – just hours after his Prince Harry released a string of revelations about Royal life.
William was seen smiling and laughing during a visit to Spartans Football Club’s Ainslie Park Stadium in Edinburgh, where he heard about initiatives championing mental health ahead of the weekend’s Scottish Cup Final.
It comes after Prince Harry’s mental health project, which he teamed up with Oprah on, was released last night.
Prince Harry spoke out in The Me You Can’t See episode with Oprah – with the episode seeing the royal claim he felt compelled to step away from the Royal Family as he was “controlled through fear” and told not to talk about his “trauma”.
Experts have said the Duke of Sussex’s revelations would have left his family “tearing out their hair”.
Harry opened up about his struggles with his mental wellbeing and claimed his father Prince Charles left him to “suffer” amid “total neglect” for his mental health.
He also spoke about Meghan’s struggles with mental health – and said the palace was at fault for making her “cry into her pillow” at night after the royal couple recorded their interview with Oprah earlier this year.
He accused his family of “total neglect” when he reached out to try and get help for Meghan, who was then pregnant with their son Archie.
He singled out Charles, saying his father did little to help him through his struggles.
