Princess Diana was tricked into giving her infamous tell-all Martin Bashir interview, according to new claims.

As per the Daily Mail, she was allegedly told that former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke had terminated a pregnancy after having an affair with Prince Charles.

Sources claim that the princess was even handed a "fake abortion receipt"as proof that the nanny had betrayed her.

The allegation is reportedly being used as evidence in the investigation looking into the BBC and Bashir's conduct around the interview.

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It's claimed that a heartbroken Diana became convinced that the rumours of an affair between Charles and Legge-Bourke were true.

So much so, she reportedly even approached the nanny at a party and told her: "So sorry to hear about the baby"

According to royal insiders, she even believed that her former husband was plotting to have her murdered so that he could marry the nanny.

Out of fear, she allegedly called on the Queen's private secretary, Sir Robert Fellowes, to conduct an investigation.

Lord Dyson is currently investigating Bashir and the BBC's conduct around how they secured the interview with Diana

Since being commissioned the task by the BBC back in November, he has already started compiling evidence – and it's believed the outcome could be catastrophic ex corporation bosses.

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Commenting on Lord Dyson's investigation, an insider told the paper: "He's been making really good progress. He's been going great guns and doing it a lot quicker than expected."

The report allegedly includes evidence that Diana was angered by "proof" that Miss Legge-Bourke had had an abortion. It also claims that the royal pulled out of her historic interview before being fed more falsehoods, including the claim that the Queen would abdicate and Prince Charles would take the throne.

Diana was also allegedly told that "reliable sources" had warned of an assassination plot against her, something which left her feeling "like a bull given an electric shock".

Despite the final report from the judge being expected in May or June, a Panorama special into the case is going to be broadcast first in mid-April.

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Princess Diana's infamous interview with Martin Bashir is back in the spotlight.

Twenty-six years after the bombshell documentary aired, an investigation is being carried out amid claims the royal was tricked into taking part.

It's reported Diana was manipulated into giving the interview and fed falsehoods to turn her against Prince Charles – including allegations that he was having an affair with her children's nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

Per the Daily Mail, the princess was reportedly even given a fake receipt for an abortion after being told that Legge-Bourke had had fallen pregnant during the affair.

With that in mind, it's little surprise that a heartbroken Diana didn't hesitate to expose everything.  Here, we take a look back at the bombshells dropped during the princess' Panorama interview that shook the world.

Take a look at the full interview with Bashir in the video below: 

1. Diana knew about Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles

Perhaps most shocking of all was the revelation that Diana was aware of Prince Charles' infidelity.

During the interview, Diana asserted that their marriage was made up of three people and described the relationship as "crowded".

She stated that she had been informed of the affair by people close to her and that the situation was only complicated further when the media learned that the couple was sleeping separately, which put a further strain on her marriage.

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2. Diana did not make the decision to separate

Towards the latter part of the interview, Diana went on to allege that it was Prince Charles, and not her, who ultimately made the decision to separate.

Diana stated that this provoked: "Deep, deep, profound sadness. Because we had struggled to keep it going. But, obviously, we'd both run out of steam."

She added: "It could have been a relief for us both that we'd finally made our minds up. But my husband asked for the separation and I supported it."

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3. Diana self-harmed 

The subject then turned to the issue of Diana's self-harming, which was also comparatively a far more shocking topic in the mid-nineties than today.

Diana stated that she started self-harming because she felt that no-one was listening to her and that her self-harming was exacerbated by accusations that her behavior was somehow "crying wolf" or "attention-seeking".

She added: "I did inflict upon myself. I didn't like myself, I was ashamed because I couldn't cope with the pressures.

"I just hurt my arms and my legs, and I work in environments now where I see women doing similar things and I'm able to understand completely where they're coming from."

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4. Diana suffered from post-natal depression

Diana then opened up about the post-natal depression she had experienced after giving birth to Prince William in 1982 – a subject many women were hesitant to discuss openly at that time.

The princess stated: "I was unwell with post-natal depression, which no one ever discusses, post-natal depression, you have to read about it afterward, and that in itself was a bit of a difficult time.

"You'd wake up in the morning feeling you didn't want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself."

Diana also opined that she was the first member of the Royal household to have experienced depression, or at least to have discussed and displayed it openly.

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5. Diana also suffered from bulimia

Diana went on to speak about her struggles with an eating disorder, claiming that she had bulimia for two or three years. She stated: "I had bulimia for a number of years. And that's like a secret disease.

"You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable. You fill your stomach up four or five times a day – some do it more – and it gives you a feeling of comfort.

"It's like having a pair of arms around you, but it's temporarily, temporary. Then you're disgusted at the bloatedness of your stomach, and then you bring it all up again."

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6. Diana's mental health was used against her

During the interview, Diana revealed that after she was diagnosed with depression, she was labelled "unstable" with her marriage.

She explained: "Well, it gave everybody a wonderful new label – Diana's unstable and Diana's mentally unbalanced.

"And unfortunately that seems to have stuck on and off over the years. I think people used it [within my marriage] and it stuck, yes."

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7. Prince Charles' jealous side

Diana added that Prince Charles sometimes took it personally when she was favored by the press and the public – particularly when it came to their philanthropic work together, which they both considered a team effort.

The princess stated: "If you're a man, like my husband a proud man, you mind about that if you hear it every day for four weeks.

"And you feel low about it, instead of feeling happy and sharing it."

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8. Diana's tears

Diana claimed that she wasn't allowed to make mistakes, and when she inevitably did, she would be reduced to tears.

"Well anything good I ever did nobody ever said a thing, never said, 'well done', or 'was it okay?' But if I tripped up, which invariably I did, because I was new at the game, a ton of bricks came down on me.

"Obviously there were lots of tears, and one could dive into the bulimia, into escape."

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9. Diana was isolated

Diana also made comments, echoed by Meghan Markle in 2021, that entering into the Royal Family left her very isolated and lonely, and that she did not receive a lot of support from Buckingham Palace.

The royal stated that she was discouraged from ever seeming sorry for herself and that learning the rigors of the royal protocols was a very much "sink or swim" experience.

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A royal expert has claimed that Prince Harry is now "embarrassed" over the interview he and wife Meghan Markle did with Oprah Winfrey last month.

The pair – who stepped back from senior royal duties last year – dished on life in the palace in the CBS special that was watched by millions across the globe.

But it seems as though Harry now "regrets" signing up for the chat, royal expert Duncan Larcombe told Closer magazine.

Larcombe, who spent 10 years getting to know Harry and is the author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, described the former royal as "hot-headed".

He told Closer magazine that Harry has a tendency to act on impulse.

Recalling a time when the prince "flew off the handle" at him following a misunderstanding at Peter Phillips' bachelor party back in 2008, Larcombe believes a similar thing happened after the Oprah interview.

He said: "Harry was clearly hurt and angry about Meghan's experience with the royals – and used the interview to get it out.

"But after returning home, I've no doubt he's been feeling embarrassed, regretful and awkward. He's now facing the consequences. I believe he'll regret that interview – and maybe his decision to leave the Royal Family."

The royal expert added: "I’ve heard Harry was feeling numb heading back to LA. You could see in his face at the funeral that he was torn. He didn’t think he’d have to face his family so soon – and when he did, he had mixed emotions.

"Apparently, talks with his dad and William were positive and productive – he and William had a real heart to heart before he returned. Coming home has reminded him of everything he’s sacrificed in recent years – and of the recent damage done."

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It comes as Oprah admitted she was "surprised" by Meghan Markle's claims in the interview.

Appearing on TalkshopLive on April 23, Oprah said she was shocked when Meghan alleged that an unidentified family member had "conversations with Harry about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he's born".

Reflecting on her interview with the royal couple, Oprah said, "I was surprised," explaining that she thought: "What? You're going there? You're going all the way there."

She added: "The reason why it was such a powerful interview… What makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open as vulnerable, as truthful as they were. The reason the interview was what it was because they answered the way they did."

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If the accidental leak of his upcoming memoir wasn't enough, Prince Harry took to ITV on Sunday evening to make several more bombshell claims.

His memoir Spare prematurely went on sale in Spain last week, days before its intended January 10 release.

Already, numerous outlets managed to get their hands on a copy, cherry-picking the juiciest revelations - most notably including 38-year-old Harry's claim that he and Prince William, 40, had an alleged physical altercation in 2019 over Meghan Markle, 41.

The Duke of Sussex didn't appear to hold back in his latest interview with Tom Bradby from ITV, which was recorded prior to the leak of Spare. Narrating excerpts from his 400+ page autobiography, Harry touched upon several key topics, with the first part of his interview focusing on the death of his mother Princess Diana in 1997.

The father-of-two revealed that, in his memoir, he had written that he'd insisted his chauffeur drive him through the same Paris tunnel in which Diana had her fatal car accident. He also added that he'd asked to be driven at the same speed his mother had gone, a request that he later found out William had also made several years earlier. When Harry exited the tunnel, he wrote that he said quietly to himself: "Is that all of it? It's nothing; just a straight tunnel."

Harry also repeatedly attacks the British press, citing the harassment he and Meghan received from them as a reason why they were forced to leave the UK and settle in Los Angeles. "If they want to hold us and the rich and powerful to account, and they want to police society, then who's policing them? That's something that William and I have talked about for many, many years," Harry said.

"What's happened to my wife and what's happened to us happens to so many people on a daily basis because of the British press, because of the racism, because of the cronyism, because of the lies - so, my father said to me that it's probably a suicide mission to try and change the press," he added.

A further topic of great interest is Harry's views on Queen Consort Camilla, and how he and William had begged their father to not marry her. According to the ITV interview, Harry believes that Camilla, 75, had leaked information pertaining to a private summit she'd had with William about her relationship with the then-Prince Charles, 74.

Referring to other royals leaking stories to the press, the former senior royal further touched upon how "certain members" have "decided to get into bed with the Devil" to "rehabilitate their image."

Harry then commented on Jeremy Clarkson's article on Meghan in The Sun, where he wrote that he fantasized about her being forced to walk down the street naked and shamed by passers-by (similar to Cersei's walk of shame in Game of Thrones). The Duke of Sussex stated that the monarchy should have stepped in and denounced the distressing nature of the article, saying their "silence was deafening."

One of the final topics addressed by Harry was Meghan's bombshell claim during the pair's Oprah interview that there had been concerns from other royals over the color of Archie's skin, ahead of his 2019 birth.

Harry firmly stated in the interview that this comment from Meghan was not an attack against the royal family for being "racist." In fact, the Duke added, this comment was spun negatively by the British press, who believed Meghan had been accusing the monarchy of being racially discriminatory.

Those wanting to get their hands on Harry's upcoming memoir will be able to do so on Tuesday, January 10.

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The interview of the year drops tonight – Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will open up for the first time about their decision to step down as working royals during a heart to heart with America's most famous talk show host, Oprah Winfrey

Unfortunately, the timing isn't ideal for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry's 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Phillip, is still recovering in hospital after undergoing a successful heart procedure. And the couple's many detractors have ruthlessly been pouncing on the situation. Taking aim directly at Meghan, Piers Morgan tweeted that "she's done this as Philip lies seriously ill in hospital," adding that "it's an absolute disgrace".
But in teasers of the world-exclusive interviews, one thing is evident: Meghan and Harry had no choice.

Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will air on ITV on Monday (Credit: PA)

'A lot has been lost already'

This is something that leading PR expert, Lauren Lunn Farrow, corroborates to VT. As she points out, Meghan and Harry likely had little control over when the interview went out in the first place:

"I wouldn't be surprised if their teams had tried to push the TX date back. The issue is that channels globally have now scheduled the interview into their flat plans, and sold advertising around it. So, moving the date the interview airs isn’t as simple as it sounds."

Still, Meghan makes clear in a 30-second trailer for tonight's interview that she is no longer willing to keep silent about her experiences within "the Firm" if they continue "perpetuating falsehoods" about her her and Harry. When Oprah asks Meghan, "how do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?", she sadly replies that a lot has "been lost already".

Lauren comments: "I think from Meghan’s point of view, she may have felt like she has been silenced for too long, and has not been able to speak her truth. When you are a member of the Royal Family, there is protocol and a set way of doing things – especially relating to how you deal with the media.

"Meghan has come from a Hollywood background of regularly doing press, and having her own social media platforms without needing to go through an extensive list of people and protocol. So it must have been a huge shock to give up her independent voice."

In a clip, Harry told Oprah Winfrey his biggest fear was "history repeating itself" (Credit: CBS)

The "bullying" accusations

Of course, the plot thickened  last week when The Times reported that the Duchess had allegedly "bullied" former royal staff, leaving some in tears, and forcing two to quit. In the wake of these claims being made public, Bucking Palace announced it was launching an unprecedented investigation into the accusations. "The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace," an official statement read.

Interestingly, the interview was recorded before the allegations became public – and the timing has raised some eyebrows.

Rallying behind Meghan, her colleagues from Suits have since taken to social media to attest to her character. Following the accusations, the show's executive producer, Jon Cowan, called her a "warm, kind, caring person" who was thrust into an "unimaginable world". Meanwhile, her makeup artist, Daniel Martin, posted a picture of Meghan to Instagram, accompanied by a poem about her "light".

Lawyers for Meghan and Harry then told The Times, that the "bullying" row was "being used by Buckingham Palace to peddle a wholly false narrative based on misleading and harmful misinformation."

Meghan Markle pictured at her last official event as a working royal in 2020 (Credit: PA Images)

The question of tactical timing

While accusations of bullying should always be taken seriously, many have found it hard to not view the reports as tactical, given that they surfaced mere days before the Oprah interview airs. And if we are going to stick to this line, "earring gate" should be painted with the same brush.

Last week, days ahead of the interview, the Duchess, once again, was the focus of renewed scrutiny after it was reported that she wore earrings gifted by Prince Salman after he approved the killing of assassination of Kamal Khashoggi. Meghan wore the jewels to a dinner in October, 2018. However, this interestingly wasn't picked up by the British tabloids until March 2021.

Raising eyebrows even further, some are accusing Buckingham Palace of double standards over its treatment of Meghan. Although it's been quick to launch an investigation claims made against the Duchess of Sussex, it's yet to conduct an inquiry into Prince Andrew and his connection with the late convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

But Meghan? A mean girl? Full probe, please!

Meghan and Harry welcomed their first child, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2019. She is currently expecting their second child. (Credit: PA)

Hope for a future across the pond

Despite being senior members of the British Royal Family, it appears that Team Markle is galvanising most of its support in the States. The New York Times published an opinion piece titled 'Good for Meghan and Harry', meanwhile UK papers and Conservative MPs and public figures have criticised the couple. Tory MP Bob Blackman told the Mail Online: "To be doing a tell-all interview screened in the UK when Philip is in hospital… they are badly advised, to put it mildly. None of these royal interviews have gone well and I can't see this going any better."

Meghan and Harry are of course aware of the negativity. They've been actively consolidating their American fanbase over the past year, with their move to LA, and multi-million dollar partnerships with US-based companies, including Netflix, Spotify and Disney.

As Lauren points out, this was another one of their motivations to speak to the biggest interviewer in America. She tells VT: "I imagine now the news is out that they won’t be returning to the UK and overseeing their patronages. They wanted to set the record straight ahead of their commercial commitments starting."

It's evident that the Sussexes didn't plan to have their interview coincide with Prince Phillip's illness – and they likely had little control over its release. But that doesn't negate their right to speak their truth, after years of falling in line with a protocol that was clearly too stifling for them.

Sadly though, it looks like they will have to set the record straight once again. And so Meghan and Harry's fight to break free of "the Firm" continues...
Lauren Lunn Farrow is a leading PR expert with over 17 years of experience. She is the MD of  www.theexpertagency.co.uk.