Prince William carries ‘wound that will not heal’ from Diana’s ‘Panorama’ interview

Prince William has long carried the private pain of knowing the depth of the betrayal his mother suffered — and he is now determined to uncover the truth behind it.

“I’ve been discreet because I’ve gone as far as I was advised to go,” Andy Webb, author of “Dianarama,”told Fox News Digital. “I describe William as having a wound that will not heal… He needs to know what happened. He really wants to know what went down 30 years ago.”

His mother, Princess Diana, secretly gave an explosive 1995 interview to journalist Martin Bashir for the BBC’s Panorama, unaware she had been manipulated into doing so. Many who loved her believe that decision ultimately altered the course of her life — and death.

The Interview That Changed Everything

In the interview, Diana openly discussed the collapse of her marriage, famously revealing, “There were three of us in this marriage,” referring to Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. She also spoke about her struggle with bulimia and episodes of self-harm.

But the princess didn’t know that Bashir had gained her trust through deceit. Webb has spent two decades investigating what he says was a BBC cover-up. Speaking with Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer — himself misled by Bashir — Webb learned the extent of the journalist’s tactics.

Bashir used forged bank statements, claimed William’s watch was a listening device, alleged palace staff were spying, and even suggested Charles wanted Diana killed. He also produced a falsified document implying nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke had an abortion paid for by Charles.

Bashir later admitted falsifying bank documents, calling it a “stupid thing to do,” but insisted it had “no bearing whatsoever on Princess Diana’s personal choice” to participate.

The Devastating Fallout

The consequences were immediate and severe. Diana, already isolated, became increasingly distrustful. She dismissed long-serving aides, including her chauffeur, after Bashir allegedly convinced her they were informants.

“Diana had been schooled to believe that the people closest to her were taking money to spy on her,” Webb said. “All the people whom she’d relied upon… she got rid of.”

Webb believes that if BBC executives had warned Diana about Bashir’s lies, “her life could have gone in a different direction.”

The interview contributed to Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to order a formal divorce. Diana lost key royal privileges and felt further abandoned. Two years later, in 1997, she died in a Paris car crash while being chased by paparazzi.

A Legacy of Pain for William

“It’s hard for William to realize that things might have been different,” Webb said. The interview haunted him through adolescence — he was just 13 at the time.

“What teenager wants to see his mother asked on TV, ‘Did you have sex with this boyfriend?’” Webb noted. Diana even suggested Charles might not be fit for kingship, leaving William to face schoolmates the next day under the weight of global scandal.

In 2020, new evidence of Bashir’s tactics prompted the BBC to launch an independent inquiry led by Lord Dyson. The 2021 report found Bashir breached BBC rules by using fabricated documents to gain access to Diana and criticized the corporation for failing to act with integrity.

William responded:
“The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse… It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation.”

Prince Harry added that the issue extended beyond the BBC and that the “culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life.”

BBC leadership apologized and acknowledged “unacceptable failures.”

William’s Determination to Close the Wound

Webb says William remains adamant the interview should not be broadcast again, calling it “illegitimate.”
“What’s particularly sad,” Webb said, “is that yes, some parts were valuable — but in reality, Diana gave that interview in a state of terror and fear.”

For William, uncovering the truth is not just an investigation — it’s an attempt to finally heal the wound left by one of the most painful chapters of his life.