The ongoing BBC probe of Princess Diana's interview with Panorama and journalist Martin Bashir from 25 years ago could become a criminal investigation and the head of the Metropolitan Police, Dame Cressida Dick, said that they can launch their own probe if a complaint reaches her office.
According to the commissioner, Scotland Yard will do their job "to assess whether any crime has been committed" when Bashir secured his interview with the Princess of Wales. Based on the allegations of Princess Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer, Bashir was not truthful when he showed the Spencers fake financial statements to convince Lady Di to talk on TV.
Apparently, those financial statements were to prove to the earl and his sister that someone at Buckingham Palace was paying off the staff to spy on Princess Diana and leak stories about her to the press to destroy her image. This was at the height of her separation from Prince Charles and before any divorce plans have been considered.
Sources said that Princess Diana felt that she was being watched and that Bashir apparently took advantage of this vulnerability. There are also claims that Bashir hired a graphic designer to do the fake bank documents.
The Met Police commissioner said that there had been no complaints filed so far, so her office does not have any access to evidence. But Alan Waller, the former security head of Earl Spencer, said that he might file a complaint against Bashir and BBC via Scotland Yard. It was Waller's name in one of the fake documents and he said Bashir made a false suggestion to the princess.
Waller also said that Bashir stole his identity and bank information and then framed him. He believes that he's the one person who can report the alleged crime to the police.
BBC boss Tim Davie launched an independent probe into the Panaroma controversy and picked retired judge Lord John Dyson to lead the panel. He said that they want to get to the bottom of this incident while Bashir has kept quiet all this time. Bashir currently works as the editor of the corporation's religion content, but he is on medical leave.
Meanwhile, Prince William said that he welcomes the investigation into his mother's old interview probe. In a statement, the Duke of Cambridge said that such action is a "step in the right direction."
His brother, Prince Harry, also said that he supports the probe and he's been updated regularly but didn't feel he needed to make a formal statement, which his critics questioned. The Duke of Sussex said that some people are using this quest for truth to "drive a wedge" between him and Prince William.
