Piers Morgan: BBC has 'blood' on its hands over Princess Diana interview

Piers Morgan has accused the BBC of having “blood on their hands" over journalist Martin Bashir’s Panorama interview with Princess Diana.

The outspoken star shared his thoughts after an inquiry found that the broadcaster covered up “deceitful behaviour” used by Bashir to secure his 1995 interview with Diana. The report said Bashir was in “serious breach” of BBC guidelines when he faked bank statements and showed them to Diana’s brother Earl Spencer in order to gain access to the princess.

The story was re-examined on Panorama this week, with a new team on the BBC show — fronted by reporter John Ware — giving the “inside story” after a four-month investigation of their own.

Morgan tweeted after it aired: “Tonight's Panorama was shocking - but mainly because it's taken the BBC 25 years to finally tell the truth about the Bashir/Diana scandal.

“They have blood on their hands because that interview propelled Diana on a path to her death."

Read more: Princes: Diana was 'failed' by BBC and 'lost her life' because of Panorama interview

“A shocking, criminal abuse of public money," he added.

Morgan’s tweet has received close to 7,000 likes so far.

Princess Diana died in August 1997, when her car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris as she and Dodi Fayed were being pursued by the paparazzi.

Her brother told the new Panorama programme that he “draws a line” between the interview and his sister’s death.

Watch: 'Deceitful tactics' used to get famous Princess Diana interview

“The irony is that I met Martin Bashir on the 31st of August 1995, because exactly two years later she died, and I do draw a line between the two events,” he said.

“It’s quite clear from the introduction that I sat in on the 19th of September 1995 everyone was going to be made untrustworthy, and I think that Diana did lose trust in really key people.”

The Earl said his sister was a “young girl in her mid-30s who has lived this extraordinarily turbulent and difficult time in the public eye”.

Read more: Piers Morgan slams Prince Harry for 'yapping' about his private life

“She didn’t know who to trust and in the end, when she died two years later, she was without any form of real protection,” he said.

The BBC has returned its Bafta, which it won in 1996 for the interview, and has written to members of the Royal Family to apologise.

Bashir apologised after the report was released, but said he remained "immensely proud" of the interview.

Watch: Police to assess Diana interview claims