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Martin Bashir quits BBC amid investigation into Princess Diana interview

Martin Bashir has quit the BBC ahead of a report expected to strongly criticise his behaviour in securing his Panorama interview with Princess Diana 25 years ago. The BBC announced to staff on Friday that Mr Bashir, 58, had resigned as the corporation’s religion editor. The decision brings to an end the career of one of the most successful (and controversial) television journalists of his era. In an email sent to news room colleagues, the corporation said ongoing ill health had forced Mr Bashir to stand down but there was inevitable speculation that he had quit before he could be sacked. His departure comes amid a furore over how he obtained his interview with Princess Diana in 1995 in which she revealed there were “three of us in this marriage” in reference to Prince Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. The interview was one of the BBC’s greatest scoops. The broadcaster launched an inquiry six months ago headed up by Lord Dyson, the former Master of the Rolls, into Mr Bashir’s journalistic methods. Lord Dyson’s report is due to be published as early as next week. An inquiry spokesman said on Friday night: “Lord Dyson has concluded his investigation and the report has been passed to the BBC for publication in due course.” The report is expected to condemn Mr Bashir over his mocking up of fake bank statements said to have been used to persuade Earl Spencer to introduce the reporter to his sister. The statements showed false payments made to Earl Spencer’s former head of security from a tabloid newspaper and an offshore company. Mr Bashir is also accused of making up a series of fantastical claims to then ensure Princess Diana went ahead with the interview. The Telegraph understands that Mr Bashir was given prior warning of a series of criticisms contained in the Dyson report as part of a legal process ahead of publication. The Princess Diana interview made Mr Bashir’s name but he left the BBC for ITV and then to take up lucrative jobs in the US before rejoining the corporation in 2016, covering religious affairs. Mr Bashir was struck down by Covid-19 last year and then underwent a quadruple heart bypass in the late summer and has not been seen on television screens for many months. He was on sick leave when the scandal over the Panorama interview resurfaced on its 25th anniversary. Mr Bashir has insisted he is too ill to speak publicly and defend his reputation although The Telegraph is aware he mounted a vigorous defence of his actions in giving evidence to Lord Dyson. Mr Bashir has denied wrongdoing. He has been on sick pay – on a fraction of his normal salary – and will not receive a payoff as a result of handing in his resignation. Senior executives had wanted to sack Mr Bashir in the autumn, but decided to wait for the outcome of the Dyson inquiry. Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, had ordered the Dyson review in the face of fierce criticism not only of Mr Bashir but of claims that senior executives had covered up his alleged deceit at the time. In an email to staff, Jonathan Munro, deputy director of BBC News, said Mr Bashir had quit his post because of ongoing ill health. The note made no mention of the Lord Dyson inquiry nor a separate investigation into Mr Bashir’s journalistic methods being conducted by Panorama, the programme which made his name. The Panorama investigation – effectively investigating itself over events 25 years ago – had been due to be aired on Monday but its broadcast was postponed over a "duty of care" to Mr Bashir. It is unclear when the Panorama investigation will now be screened but BBC sources insisted it had been delayed rather than cancelled. In his note, Mr Munro wrote: “Martin Bashir has stepped down from his position as the BBC’s Religion Editor, and is leaving the Corporation. “He let us know of his decision last month, just before being readmitted to hospital for another surgical procedure on his heart. Although he underwent major surgery toward the end of last year, he is facing some ongoing issues and has decided to focus on his health. We wish him a complete and speedy recovery.”

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Prince Harry gives advice to grieving children in new book

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020,file photo, Britain's Prince Harry arrives in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London. Britains Prince Harry has written the forward for a new book aimed at the children of frontline workers who died in the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing the pain he suffered as a boy after the death of his mother, Princess Diana. Harry wrote that losing his mother at age 12 left “a huge hole inside of me,” according to excerpts of the book printed in the Times of London. “While I wish I was able to hug you right now, I hope this story is able to provide you comfort in knowing that you’re not alone,” Harry wrote in the foreword. “We all cope with loss in a different way, but when a parent goes to heaven, I was told their spirit, their love and the memories of them do not,” Harry wrote.

The Latest: UK talk show host quits show over Meghan remarks

“I wish all the members of the royal family all the best, but my focus is getting through this pandemic. After Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, some people said the racism that the couple alleged was was something they expected. Markle also said he has “great respect” for Britain’s royal family and he didn’t think they were racist. “When Meghan joined the royal family, every person of color in the U.K. was worried,” she said. Ad___LOS ANGELES — Prince Harry says he was “trapped” in the royal family before Meghan helped free him.

Explosive Harry, Meghan interview reverberates across globe

This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. Winfrey later said Harry told her the comment didn’t come from Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Philip, his grandparents. AdThe situation became so difficult that at one point, “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore,” Meghan told Winfrey. But Harry said the royal family was completely unable to offer that support to its own members.

Memorable quotes from Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview

This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, speaking about expecting their second child during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special" airs March 7 as a two-hour exclusive primetime special on the CBS Television Network. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)Memorable quotes and major revelations from Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan and Harry, their first since stepping away from royal life:“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was very clear and real and frightening.” — Meghan, on the suicidal thoughts she had after joining the royal family. There were ”concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” — Meghan, on the royal reaction to her son Archie.

Race, title and anguish: Meghan and Harry explain royal rift

This image provided by Harpo Productions shows Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in conversation with Oprah Winfrey. In a rare positive moment in the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed their second would be a girl. In response to a question from Winfrey, Harry said he wouldn’t have left royal life if not for his wife. Ad“I will say I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the royal family,” Meghan said. But she did not fully comprehend the pressure of being linked to the prestigious royal family.