Tiggy ‘set for payout’ over Bashir’s Panorama slurs
The ex-nanny of Prince William and Prince harry is believed to be close to agreeing a settlement with the BBC for being smeared by former rogue reporter Martin Bashir.
She is thought to have been offered a significant payout as a result of false claims made by the journalist, used as part of his attempts to secure his 1995 interview with Princess Diana.
A high Court listing has emerged about a case which describes the BBC as the defendant and Alexandra Pettifer as the complainant. Pettifer is Miss LeggeBourke’s married name and her real first name is Alexandra.
The case type is described as ‘ Media and Communication – Part 8 Claim – Permission to read statement in open court’.
It is believed the information is linked to the conclusion of a settlement deal between the BBC and the former royal nanny over the slurs Bashir made about her in an attempt to land his notorious Panorama interview with Diana.
It comes only days after the BBC was forced to issue an apology and a payout for defaming one of its own journalists who tried to expose Bashir’s tactics.
Former senior reporter and producer Mark Killick said the broadcaster had ‘launched a smear campaign’ against him after he raised concerns. It has agreed to pay ‘a significant sum in damages and costs’, thought to be in the region of £50,000.
There was previously speculation that the BBC had offered a six-figure settlement to Miss Legge-Bourke.
Among the false claims said to have been pedalled by Mr Bashir was that he told Diana that Prince Charles was ‘in love’ with Miss Legge-Bourke and they were planning a holiday together.
It was also alleged he had shown her a fake receipt for an abortion for the royal nanny. Diana was said to have become convinced that the nanny had become pregnant by Charles. She allegedly confronted Miss Legge-Bourke at a Christmas party and acidly remarked: ‘So sorry to hear about the baby.’
Insiders believe that such was the scale of Bashir’s slurs about Miss LeggeBourke that she could be set for a financial settlement in line with that received by graphic artist Matt Wiessler.
Mr Wiessler, who was blacklisted after he raised concerns about Bashir’s conduct on the 1995 interview, is thought to have received £500,000 as part of his agreement with the BBC.
The artist had been asked by Bashir to mock up false bank statements.
earlier this year the BBC paid Diana’s former private secretary Patrick Jephson £100,000. Bashir was said to have used fake bank statements which appeared to show he had received payments from the intelligence services.
The BBC also reportedly paid more than £1.5million to a charity selected by the Royal Family after the fallout from Lord Dyson’s report into the scandal.
Last night a BBC spokesman declined to comment on any settlement as did Miss Legge-Bourke.
Yesterday the corporation published a new whistleblowing policy, developed after the Dyson report. It offers staff an independent, free and confidential phone service they can call to raise concerns.