Netflix is set to run a documentary about Princess Diana, which looks back on her explosive Panorama interview from 25 years ago. Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World will provide testimonies from insiders who will divulge how the Princess of Wales trusted journalist Martin Bashir to tell her story and gambled her standing with the royal family.
According to reports, Netflix will release the documentary on April 11 across all the regions serviced by the streaming platform. However, Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World originally aired in the United Kingdom in October 2020 and re-opened old allegations that Bashir and Panorama used unethical tactics to secure the interview that remains highly talked about to this day.
Bashir, allegedly, faked documents to show Princess Diana and gain her trust, as well as the trust of her brother, Earl Charles Spencer. Included in the documents was a fake bank account to convince the Spencers that someone within their circle has been plotting Diana's downfall with the royal family thus, they have to talk to the press.
Following the airing of Diana: The Interview That Shocked the World, BBC launched an independent investigation led by former Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson, which had Prince William's support. The Duke of Cambridge said in a statement that the investigation is a "step in the right direction" to uncover the truth about the "actions that led to the Panorama interview."
However, in early March 2021, the Metropolitan Police declared that Bashir was cleared of any criminal liability in securing the interview. But the investigation is not yet done as new evidence in showed that Bashir also presented Diana with a fake receipt suggesting that her children's nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke had an abortion. According to reports, the journalist tried to convince the Princess of Wales that the nanny and Prince Charles had a romantic liaison.
Meanwhile, the former home of the Princess of Wales in west London will be set with an honorary blue plaque from the English Heritage to mark its historical significance. From 1979 to 1981, Diana stayed with her flatmates at a row of apartments in Kensington, called the Coleherne Court, before she became engaged to the Prince of Wales.
The honorary plaque comes as Diana would have celebrated her 60th birthday in July. Anna Eavis of the English Heritage said that this was a fitting to honor as Princess Diana was a cultural icon who raised awareness on many serious issues like homelessness, depression and HIV/AIDS.
