Princess Diana privately regretted Panorama interview days before her death, friend reveals

Princess Diana confided in a close friend just ten days before her death in 1997 that she regretted her 1995 Panorama interview, concerned about the impact it may have had on her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

The revelation was made public on November 24, 2025, when Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton spoke exclusively to People magazine in connection with investigative journalist Andy Webb’s new book, Dianarama: Deception, Entrapment, Cover-Up — The Betrayal of Princess Diana, which was released on 20 November 2025.

The book draws on previously unreleased BBC documents obtained in 2024, providing new insights into the deception behind the interview.

During a summer holiday in Greece in August 1997, Diana shared with Monckton her regret over participating in the interview, which had reached an estimated 200 million viewers worldwide.

According to Monckton, Diana’s concern was not about the content she disclosed but about the potential harm it may have caused her sons, then 15 and 12.

The Panorama interview, conducted by journalist Martin Bashir, later became the subject of a formal inquiry, which found that Bashir used forged documents and deceptive tactics to gain Diana’s trust.

BBC executives at the time failed to address the misconduct. Diana never learned of the full deception before her death in a car crash two months later.

Monckton described Diana as frail and vulnerable during that period, weighed down by public scrutiny and the emotional aftermath of the interview.

The public disclosure of Monckton’s account sheds light on Diana’s private thoughts in her final weeks, highlighting her overriding concern for William and Harry.

The revelations have also been reflected on by her sons. Prince William has said the interview fueled his mother’s fear and isolation, while Prince Harry has asserted that the deceit surrounding it contributed to the challenges Diana faced in her final years.

Although William and Harry have followed different paths as adults, both remain united in the understanding that their mother was misled and that her suffering was compounded by forces beyond her control.