After the verdict was announced, Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, took to Twitter t express his disappointment. He wrote, “The right result – appalling what Patrick Jephson had to go through as a result of grotesque ‘journalism.”
The BBC has paid Patrick Jephson, Princess Diana’s former private secretary, a “substantial sum” in damages and unreservedly apologized for the “harm caused to him” as a result of Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview.
“It’s also terrible that senior people at @BBCNews covered it up for so long – there will be more to come out on all of this soon.”
Lord Dyson, a former Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice, was tasked with investigating the events surrounding Diana’s explosive 1995 interview, in which she famously said, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
Earl Spencer accused Martin of showing him fake financial documents relating to his sister’s former private secretary and another former royal household member, as well as fabricating and fabricating stories about the royal family in order to gain access to the princess.
The documents made it appear as if the people were being paid to keep the princess under surveillance.
The BBC said in a statement on Thursday: “The BBC accepts and acknowledges that the circumstances surrounding the 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, which have come to light as a result of the Dyson Report, caused serious harm to Commander Jephson.
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“Commander Jephson has received an unconditional apology from the BBC, which has also paid his legal costs. Commander Jephson has also received a substantial sum in damages from the BBC, which he intends to donate in full to British charities of his choice.”
In a statement to the PA news agency, Patrick, who was previously Diana’s private secretary, said: “It’s a relief to finally have this painful episode come to an end after more than twenty-five years.
“I am grateful to Lord Dyson and the journalists whose tenacity brought the truth to light, and I now look forward to donating the damages I have been awarded to T Hafan, a children’s hospice in Wales, in memory of the late Princess Diana.”