Lies & heartache
The brothers are increasingly protective of their mother’s legacy, as both showed in their separate responses to the release of the explosive findings of the Dyson report. This is the investigation by former British judge Lord Dyson into the nefarious actions of BBC journalist Martin Bashir, who it turns out duped Diana, Princess of Wales, into taking part in his infamous 1995 interview.
It isn’t the first time the interview has been investigated. Questions were raised by the UK’s Mail on Sunday newspaper shortly after Bashir’s interrogation aired. The newspaper then found evidence that fake bank statements had been drawn up and that these documents created an entirely false narrative that fed the princess’ paranoia. Thanks to Bashir’s lies, Diana believed she was under surveillance and members of the royal household were being paid for information about her.
The BBC duly set up an internal investigation in 1996 and, incredibly, we now know that this first report was a thinly veiled cover-up. The fact that the state broadcaster, usually upheld as a paragon of impeccable, reliable journalism, could be involved in such underhand tactics and then lie about it was shocking in itself, but the bigger issue for me is the fallout from that interview.
Diana’s criticisms of life within her marriage and the royal family pretty much severed her ties with the House of Windsor. After this interview, nothing was the same. The Queen urged Prince Charles and Diana to divorce, which they did in August 1996, and believing that she could no longer trust the royal household, Diana chose to shun her police security detail. There is no question that had Diana retained those royal personal protection officers, she would not have been in a car driven by a drunk driver, which resulted in the tragic crash that ended her life.
More than 20 million people watched the interview at the time, and in the decades that followed it has regularly been hauled out of the archives and presented as a seemingly accurate account of what was really going on behind palace gates and especially within the royal marriage. But to my mind everything about that interview is now tainted and in question.
Certainly William and Harry believe their mother’s interview to be a tragic travesty, and they are rightly distressed. Their responses came from opposite sides of the Atlantic and were embargoed for release at exactly the same time – proving, I think, that despite the reported rift between the siblings, their offices are clearly talking to each other, and where their mother is concerned, her boys are very much united.
Both condemned Bashir and the BBC for their deceitful behaviour. Prince William delivered his response in a powerful video and talked not only of the fake documents that duped their mother, but also of “lurid and false claims about the Royal Family [made by Bashir] which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia”.
The Duke of Cambridge did not hold back. “The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others,” he declared. “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her. But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived … It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again.”
Prince Harry praised his “resilient,
brave and unquestionably honest” mother and, like his uncle Earl Spencer, connected the interview to her untimely death. “Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed. By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life. Let’s remember who she was and what she stood for.”
At the time of going to press, plans are still in place for the Dukes to unveil a statue of their mother in Kensington Gardens for a 60th birthday memorial. Prince Harry’s attendance will depend on the progress of his baby daughter and wife, and potential travel restrictions between the UK and US. But if he does make it, the narrative of their beloved mother Diana becoming the catalyst to reunite these two brothers is much needed.
Harry’s trauma
Before Lili’s birth, Prince Harry had a busy couple of months with the release of a 90-minute episode of the podcast Armchair Expert with US actor Dax Shepard and his sidekick Monica Padman, and an Apple TV series with Oprah. Both dealt with the topic of mental health and specifically how Harry has successfully turned to therapy to unravel the childhood trauma he suffered following the death of his mother.
The Prince’s revelations about his emotional journey within the royal institution would have been uncomfortable for his family and the royal household to hear, and while there has been no official comment from the palaces or Clarence House, Harry has dominated media headlines in much the same way Diana did with that 1995 interview.
I think Harry has shown courage in both these programs. His intent to lift the stigma around talking about mental health is genuinely felt, and that belief in the power of talking reminds me of his mother. Listening to Harry pour out his heart, there is no question that he struggled inside the gilded cage of royal life, and while the UK media has been less than supportive of Harry’s implied criticisms of his family and the machine of monarchy, it’s worth noting that he clearly states he doesn’t want to point the finger and there’s no blame.
However, Harry’s declaration that he moved his family to the US to “break the cycle” of “genetic pain and suffering” has caused a media storm, with many suggesting he is not only taking aim at his father but at his grandparents. In an interview in the UK newspaper The Telegraph, the Countess of Wessex deflected questions about Harry’s interviews, but did say, “We are still a family no matter what” – which at the end of the day will, I’m sure, be the ultimate healing factor here.
In the meantime, the royal family is very much back at work in the UK, with the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge having completed a highly successful tour of Scotland. The perfectly choreographed 21 engagements across six days included the couple hosting a drive-in movie at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a fish and chip supper at their go-to restaurant from university days, and a wonderful meeting between Catherine and cancer survivor Mila Sneddon. Mila’s photo was one of those submitted for the Duchess’ Hold Still project of lockdown portraits. The five-yearold was battling leukaemia and Catherine promised that when they met in person, she would wear a pink princess dress. At Holyrood Palace that encounter was realised, leaving Mila twirling with joy.
In a poignant speech Prince William said, “Scotland is the source of some of my happiest memories. But also, my saddest. I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died … And yet alongside this painful memory is one of great joy. Because it was here in Scotland … that I first met Catherine.”
It seems that for both brothers, Diana will always be present in everything they do.
“Harry’s intent to lift the stigma around mental health is genuinely felt.”