Martin Bashir interviews Princess Diana.Photo: Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
JournalistMartin Bashiris speaking out after an official BBC inquiry found he used “deceitful methods” to secure his controversial 1995 interview withPrincess Diana.
In his first interview since the results of the inquiry were released on Thursday, Bashir said he is “deeply sorry.”
“I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don’t believe we did,” he said in an interview withThe Sunday Times. “Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents.”
“I can’t imagine what their family must feel each day,” he continued in reference to Diana’s sonsPrince WilliamandPrince Harry.
Martin Bashir.Mark Allan/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
In his interview withThe Sunday Times, Bashir also spoke out against a statement William made after the report was released, in which the royal criticized the BBC.
Bashir has denied this. “Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I wasn’t the source of any of that,” he told the newspaper. “I don’t feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and the complex issues surrounding those decisions.”
In the 1995 interview, Diana famously said there were “three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.” The following year, she was divorced fromPrince Charlesand she tragically died following a car crash in Paris in 1997.
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While speaking withThe Sunday Times, Bashir specifically said that showing Spencer the forged bank documents “was wrong” and something he “deeply regrets” — although he claimed that “had no bearing” on his 1995 sit-down with Diana.
Asked if he will be able to forgive himself, Bashir replied, “that’s a really difficult question because it was a serious error.”
“I hope that people will allow me the opportunity to show that I am properly repentant of what happened,” he added.
In a previousstatement on the BBCfollowing the release of the report, Bashir — whoquit his postas BBC religion editor ahead of the network’s release of the inquiry report — apologized for mocking up the documents but said he remained “immensely proud” of the interview.
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“It is clear that the process for securing the interview fell far short of what audiences have a right to expect. We are very sorry for this,” the statement read. “While today’s BBC has significantly better processes and procedures, those that existed at the time should have prevented the interview being secured in this way.”
“While the BBC cannot turn back the clock after a quarter of a century, we can make a full and unconditional apology. The BBC offers that today,” the statement continued.
source: people.com
