After the Thursday release of a BBC report concluding Princess Diana’s 1995 Panorama interview was obtained using deception, Prince William and Prince Harry are both speaking out against the interview and the negative effect that press failures had on her life. In separate statements, both brothers thanked retired judge Lord John Dyson for leading the investigation into the tactics Martin Bashir used to gain Diana’s confidence, including claims of falsified bank statements shown to her brother, Charles, Earl Spencer, and falsehoods about the royal family.

William excoriated the British broadcaster for it “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others,” he said. “It is my firm view that this Panorama programme holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again. It effectively established a false narrative which, for over a quarter of a century, has been commercialised by the BBC and others.”

He also said the broadcaster “covered up” its failures in their previous comments about the interviewer. “It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her,” he said. “But what saddens me most, is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived.  She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.”

Harry praised his mother and expressed particular disappointment in the fact that the BBC is publicly funded.  “In an era of fake news, public service broadcasting and a free press have never been more important,” he said. “These failings, identified by investigative journalists, not only let my mother down, and my family down; they let the public down too. Our mother was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to service. She was resilient, brave, and unquestionably honest.”

He also echoed previous statements that connect his mothers death to media intrusion. “The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life,” he said. “Our mother lost her life because of this, and nothing has changed. By protecting her legacy, we protect everyone, and uphold the dignity with which she lived her life. Let’s remember who she was and what she stood for.”

Spencer, who helped spark the investigation by sharing his handwritten notes from his initial meeting with Bashir and Diana, commented on the report in a Tweet. “I’d like to thank the TV journalist Andy Webb for his tireless professionalism in bringing the Bashir-Panorama-BBC scandal to light,” he said, referencing the filmmaker behind a Channel 4 documentary examining Bashir’s tactics that aired in November. “If he hadn’t have pursued this story for well over a decade, and shared his findings with me last October, today’s findings wouldn’t have surfaced." He also shared a childhood photo of himself and Diana.

Earlier this week, Bashir resigned from his post as the BBC’s religion editor, citing ongoing health issues. In a statement Thursday, he apologized for faking the documents, saying it “was a stupid thing to do,” while adding that he believes “the bank statements had no bearing whatsoever on the personal choice by Princess Diana to take part in the interview.”

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