When the British were left breathless Why Diana's scandalous TV interview still resonates today
Falsified documents, intimate details and a tremor for the British monarchy: Princess Diana's interview with the BBC TV channel remains a turning point for the British royal family and media to this day.
16.11.2025, 16:53
16.11.2025, 17:58
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- Princess Diana appeared fragile and sad on November 20, 1995 in a TV interview with television personality Martin Bashir.
- The 34-year-old talked about her unhappy love triangle, depression, eating disorders and how she thought her husband Charles was an incompetent king.
- Until that day, it was unthinkable for a member of the British royal family to go public - and certainly not on camera.
- The BBC interview made big waves. Diana's brother Charles Spencer then claimed that the journalist Bashir had gained his sister's trust, even blackmailing her with forged documents - he was proved right years later.
The years-long love affair with Prince Charles, her own affair with a riding instructor and other sensitive topics such as self-harm and eating disorders: Until November 20, 1995, it was unthinkable for a member of the British royal family to go public, let alone a princess and certainly not on camera.
But that all changed on that day - when Princess Diana gave an interview that still resonates today.
Thirty years ago, more than 200 million people around the world watched the "Queen of Hearts", then aged 34, talk openly on the BBC about her husband Charles' infidelity.
The statement "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit close" is still one of the most famous sentences in British TV history.
The interview sealed the end of the already broken marriage, and Charles filed for divorce shortly afterwards. Today, the King is happily married to his then-affair, Camilla.
Diana talked about how lonely life was behind the glittering facades of the palace, told of her affair with riding instructor James Hewitt and even reported self-harm and bulimia.
But what remains of this 30 years and more scandals later?
Diana or Charles, William or Harry
The interview "still has a legacy today", constitutional expert Craig Prescott from the Royal Holloway University of London told the German Press Agency.
It is undisputed that Diana's words caused massive damage to the royal family. In addition, the interview, often referred to as a "bombshell", had "perhaps for the first time caused a kind of split in support for the monarchy".
Some sided with Charles and cursed Diana for damaging the reputation of the then heir to the throne in such a way. Others, however, saw the princess as the victim of a toxic marriage and a mother who, despite these hardships, put the welfare of her children first.
"Why would I destroy something that secures my children's future? I will fight for my children at all levels," Diana said in the interview at the time when asked about the accusations that she wanted to destroy the British monarchy.
To a certain extent, this form of division in support of the monarchy has persisted to this day, says the expert.
The royal family and the media
Many royal fans today tend to support Prince William and Princess Kate rather than Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who broke away from the inner circle of royals a good five years ago. "And so the idea emerged that people were taking sides in a rift within the royal family," explains Prescott.
As if all this wasn't enough for the British royal family, the scandal flared up again a few years ago. This time, however, it was the BBC that was caught up in its past.
An investigative report published in 2021 revealed that former BBC reporter and interviewer Martin Bashir had used forged documents to gain access to Diana.
Fake bank statements were supposed to prove that she was being spied on by people close to her. The BBC later covered up the misconduct of its reporter. Prince William and his brother Harry severely criticized the BBC for its behaviour towards their mother.
According to them, the details that became known at the time are also a reason why Charles "did not enjoy the same unrestricted support as Elizabeth II". However, his mother's high popularity had always been an obstacle to Charles' reputation as king anyway.
"Just as damaging for the BBC as for the monarchy"
This is "possibly the BBC's most serious scandal to date", says constitutional expert Craig Prescott. Of all things, the world-famous broadcaster used lies and deceit to obtain its most famous interview. "It was as damaging to the BBC as it was to the monarchy," says the expert.
The royal family's relationship with the media had changed as a result of the interview. After Diana's death at the latest, the royal family had become more professional. Diana died in a traffic accident in Paris in August 1997 while being followed by paparazzi.
There are still outliers like ex-Prince Andrew, who caused a PR disaster for himself and the royal family a few years ago with an interview with the BBC. However, the royal family has now understood "how to deal with the media", says Prescott. "That was one of the lessons they learned after the interview and after Diana's death."
The BBC apologized for its mistake in 2021 and fully acknowledged the findings of the investigation. The interview had made a "significant contribution" to the deterioration of his parents' relationship, William said at the time.
The reporter's behavior had contributed significantly to Diana's anxiety, paranoia and isolation. What he finds particularly painful? That his mother never found out the truth.
