William and Harry hit out at BBC over 'deceitful' Diana interview

Journalist Martin Bashir said the faking of the bank statements was "an action I deeply regret"

The interview on BBC's flagship "Panorama" programme in November 1995 was watched by a record 22.8 million people and lifted the lid on Diana's troubled marriage to Prince Charles

Princes William and Harry on Thursday hit out at the BBC and journalist Martin Bashir over "the deceitful way" Bashir obtained his explosive TV interview with Princess Diana, their late mother, in which she detailed her troubled marriage to Prince Charles.

Their stinging criticism came hours after an independent inquiry found Bashir had used falsified documents to get his sensational 1995 sit-down with Diana, and that BBC leaders had failed to adequately probe how he had arranged it.

He added that the BBC's oversight failures had "contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation" in her final years.

"It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again," William -- second in line to the throne -- added in a lengthy statement read in-person from Kensington Palace.

In his own release, William's younger brother Harry said the enquiry report was "the first step towards justice and truth" but that the deceptive practices exposed were still widespread today -- and had played a part in his mother's death.

Harry's comments echoed those of Diana's brother Charles Spencer, who earlier blamed the fallout from the 1995 interview for contributing to her death nearly two years later.

- 'Flawed' -

Bashir then showed them to Spencer in a successful bid to convince him to arrange a meeting between himself and Diana and earn her trust to secure the interview.

Questions have long been asked about how Bashir convinced Diana on the BBC's flagship "Panorama" programme, which was watched by a record 22.8 million people and won a string of television awards.

Bashir, now 58, was little-known at the time but went on to have a high-profile career on US television networks, and interviewed stars such as Michael Jackson.

A 1996 internal inquiry by future BBC chief Tony Hall and another senior figure, Anne Sloman, cleared Bashir of wrongdoing. 

It failed to ask Spencer for his version of events, Dyson noted, lambasting it for failing to scrutinise Bashir's actions properly.

- 'Stupid thing' -

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the government would reflect on Dyson's findings and consider whether "further governance reforms" were needed at the BBC, adding "this can never happen again".

"The BBC should have made greater effort to get to the bottom of what happened at the time and been more transparent about what it knew," he added.

Bashir also apologised, saying the faking of the bank statements was "a stupid thing do and was an action I deeply regret". 

Davie too noted the princess was "keen on the idea of an interview with the BBC". Her estranged husband had spoken to commercial channel ITV in 1994, and also admitted adultery.

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