When Princess Diana let the British catch their breath



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Some praise her as a mix of supermodel and Mother Teresa, others consider her a vengeful wife: In a legendary interview with the BBC, Princess Diana rocked the British monarchy 25 years ago today.

With a single interview, Princess Diana shook the British monarchy to its foundations 25 years ago. More than 200 million people around the world watched on television how the beautiful and popular Diana spoke frankly and freely about the emotional coldness at court and the infidelity of her husband, Prince Charles. Worse still: he said that the heir to the throne Carlos was probably not suitable for the “main job”: being king. It would be better if her son William later succeeded Elizabeth II directly to the throne.

Diana had been separated from her husband for three years, who had a long affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. “I don’t want a divorce,” Diana said in the BBC interview on November 20, 1995. But she wanted clarity. “I am waiting for my husband’s decision on the way forward. Was it Camilla who caused the failure of your marriage? “Well, there were three of us in our marriage. That was too much, “said the princess.

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 1985, file photo, Britain's Princess Diana wears the Spencer tiara as she and Prince Charles attend a state dinner at Government House in Adelaide, Australia.  The BBC's board of directors announced on Wednesday, November 18, 2020, the appointment of a retired chief judge to lead an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding a controversial 1995 television interview with Princess Diana.  (AP Photo / Jim Bourdier, FILE)
She wanted to be the queen of hearts and she undid the heartless life at court: Princess Diana shook the British monarchy with a legendary BBC interview 25 years ago. (File photo)

Open words, also on your own matter

Diana’s words were unusually frank. «I want to be queen in the hearts of the people. But I don’t see myself as the queen of this country. “But she also vehemently shared:” I don’t think many people want me to be their queen. Above all, I mean the establishment where I got married. .

Diana rejected the accusations that she wanted to destroy the monarchy. Why should I destroy something that will ensure the future of my children? I will fight for my children at all levels. ”She herself wanted to become a kind of special ambassador for her country.

The then 34-year-old also admitted to having an affair: she had sought solace from riding instructor James Hewitt and was ultimately disappointed by his indiscretions. The relationship has pushed the boundaries of friendship, he said. “I adored it. Yes, I was in love with him. ”He also reported self-harm (cuts to arms and legs) and bulimia.

Diana the Princess of Wales seen in this television picture during an interview previously recorded and broadcast on the BBC PANORAMA program on Monday 20 November 1995 (KEYSTONE / AP Photo / BBC PANORAMA).
Princess Diana responded to BBC journalist Martin Bashir frankly and freely.

The queen was out of her mind

The interview had consequences. Elizabeth II was reportedly particularly outraged that her daughter-in-law was questioning Charles’s fitness for the throne. Diana’s appearance on secretly organized television was seen as a breach of trust in the royal family. Just a month later, it emerged that the Queen was in favor of a speedy divorce for the couple. Charles agreed and had his spokesman say, “The prince has no intention of remarrying.”

The royal family drastically lost its reputation after the interview, according to polls. The fact that Diana fought for the well-being of her “boys” Harry and William, then eleven and 13 years old, and “did not want to disappear in silence” made her so popular with the British.

Sounding a slap in the face for the royal family

Psychologists saw in her an ideal identification figure for frustrated women: she always tried to do everything right without being thanked. She also combined the “women’s fight” with charming charisma. The editor-in-chief of the tabloid “Sun” even praised Diana as a cross between a supermodel and Mother Teresa.



Critics, for their part, described the shy-eyed princess as a calculating woman. Nicholas Soames, a friend of Charles and then Secretary of State in the Defense Ministry, spoke of the “spectacle of a supposedly slaughtered lamb that borders on paranoia.” Good or bad: the interview was like a loud slap in the face for the royal family. A winner of the scandal, on the other hand, was the BBC: the station sold the interview in more than 100 countries.

The interview must be examined

Diana’s brother Charles Spencer accuses journalist Martin Bashir of having obtained the interview with his sister at the time using unfair methods, such as falsified bank statements. These should give the impression that people have been paid to divulge information about Diana.

Take the allegations “very seriously,” BBC chief Tim Davie said now, announcing an independent investigation a quarter of a century after the television event. It will be led by Lord Dyson, a former Supreme Court Justice.



Prince William (38) described the investigation announced by Kensington Palace as a “step in the right direction”. For health reasons, Bashir himself could not be questioned initially. According to the station, he is still suffering the consequences of a Covid 19 disease and an operation on his heart.

Charles and Camilla are popular today

A lot has happened since the interview 25 years ago. Despite Prince Charles’ assurances that he would never remarry, he remarried in 2005 – to Camilla, who had previously been ridiculed by the British press as a Rottweiler.

Charles, once criticized for being snobbish, and Camilla are now highly respected by most Brits. They are considered down-to-earth and committed to charitable causes. The life of Princess Diana, however, was short. Less than two years after the spectacular interview, she had a fatal accident, chased by paparazzi, in a car accident with her lover Dodi Al-Fayed in a Paris tunnel.

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