Prince William comments on investigation into Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview

Prince William has commented on a BBC investigation following claims that reporters duped Princess Diana to take part in a 1995 interview.

Prince William has commented on the investigation into Princess Diana’s 1995 tell-all interview.

The Duke of Cambridge said: “The independent investigation is a step in the right direction. It should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the Panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time.”

The BBC has vowed to uncover the truth behind claims that reporters duped Princess Diana by launching a probe into her infamous interview, The Sun reports.

It follows growing anger over allegations the royal was deceived before agreeing to take part in the program, which aired in 1995.

Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1995 interview.

RELATED: Meghan Markle’s bombshell court admission

Last week, The Sun exclusively revealed the BBC has found a note handwritten by Diana after the interview in which she reportedly denied being manipulated into taking part.

The letter had been missing for some years, but was suddenly unearthed after claims interviewer Martin Bashir got the scoop by using fake bank statements.

Despite the find, the broadcaster has announced that it is forging ahead with an investigation, which will be led by former judge and barrister Lord John Anthony Dyson.

The BBC’s new director-general Tim Davie said yesterday: “The BBC is determined to get to the truth about these events and that is why we have commissioned an independent investigation.

“Formerly Master of the Rolls and a Justice of the Supreme Court, Lord Dyson is an eminent and highly respected figure who will lead a thorough process.”

And Lord Dyson said: “This is an important investigation which I will start straight away.

“I will ensure it is both thorough and fair.”

News of both the letter and the fresh probe were reported as removal teams emptied Bashir’s $3.6 million home in West London.

BBC reporter Martin Bashir who conducted an exclusive interview with Princess of Wales.

RELATED: Fans convinced of royal cameo in The Crown

Bashir, who is now religion editor at the BBC, is currently signed off from work.

A statement from the corporation said: “He is currently recovering from quadruple heart bypass surgery and has significant complications from having contracted COVID-19 earlier in the year.”

Bashir has not yet spoken publicly on the scandal, which erupted earlier this month when Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer went public with claims that Bashir repeatedly deceived her in order to land the exclusive interview.

Notes from Earl Spencer allegedly show Bashir spun a web of lies to gain access to the Princess – leading to her famously telling the interviewer: “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

It’s alleged the notes reveal 32 smears – including claims that Diana’s private correspondence was being opened and her phone tapped.

Earl Spencer also alleged to Mr Davie that Bashir falsified bank accounts, which claimed to wrongly show two senior courtiers were being paid by security services for information on Diana, in the hope it would win him an introduction to her.

Diana in the interview.

Charles and Diana pose following their engagement.

However, in the newly discovered letter, Diana reportedly wrote that she wanted to “confirm that these documents played no part in her decision”.

A friend of the Princess told The Sun she believes Bashir faked the note.

Simone Simmons, close to Diana at the time, said: “She never wrote any note – she would not write anything like that.”

The probe will begin immediately and the BBC is handing over all of its relevant records.

The report of this investigation will be published at its conclusion, officials said.

Bosses at the corporation also denied claims the letter from Diana was forged, with a spokesperson saying there isn’t a “shred of evidence to suggest the note from the Princess was anything other than genuine”.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission