BBC pays ‘substantial’ damages to royal nanny over 1995 Diana interview

Princes William and Harry’s former nanny on Thursday obtained substantial damages from the BBC over “false and malicious” claims about her used to acquire a 1995 interview with Princess Diana.

Alexandra Pettifer, recognized on the time as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was given a public apology for “fabricated” allegations that she had an affair with the princes’ father, Prince Charles.

The High Court in London was additionally instructed that she was falsely accused of changing into pregnant by him when she was his private assistant and of getting an abortion.

Pettifer’s lawyer, Louise Prince, stated the allegations triggered “serious personal consequences for all concerned” and her consumer didn’t know the place they got here from.

Also Read: | Princess Diana’s tailor opens up about her well-known 1995 interview outfit

But she stated it was seemingly that the “false and malicious allegations arose as a result and in the context of BBC Panorama’s efforts to procure an exclusive interview with Diana, Princess of Wales”.

The explosive interview noticed Diana element her troubled marriage to Charles, his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and the way she had additionally been untrue.

Questions had been instantly raised about how little-known interviewer Martin Bashir secured Diana’s settlement to participate within the programme, which despatched shockwaves by the royal household.

It has since emerged that he used subterfuge, together with faux paperwork alleging a few of her aides had been within the pay of the safety providers.

Also Read: | Prince William and Prince Harry condemn BBC over 1995 Princess Diana interview

Pettifer’s lawyer stated the “totally unfounded” claims “appeared to exploit some prior false speculation in the media” about her and Charles.

“After Diana, Princess of Wales, became aware of the allegations in late 1995, she became upset with the claimant without apparent justification,” she added.

Prince stated Pettifer “holds the BBC liable for the serious impact the false and malicious allegations have had” which had triggered her “25 years of lies, suspicion and upset”.

Pettifer stated she was one in every of many individuals whose life had been “scarred” by the way in which the programme was made and the BBC’s failure to research correctly afterwards.

“The distress caused to the royal family is a source of great upset to me,” she added.

“I know first-hand how much they were affected at the time, and how the programme and the false narrative it created have haunted the family in the years since.”

Also Read: | Prince William blasted Diana after 1995 interview about her marriage

BBC director-general Tim Davie confirmed the company would pay “substantial damages” to Pettifer and pledged to not present the programme once more.

He additionally apologised to her, Charles, William and Harry “for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact on all their lives”.

The BBC has beforehand paid damages to Diana’s former aide Patrick Jephson and a graphic designer who blew the whistle on the underhand strategies used.

Also Read: | When Princess Diana known as Prince Charles by the fallacious identify on the altar throughout wedding ceremony vows

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