In a statement released by Kensington Palace, Prince William called news of a new investigation into Princess Diana's controversial 1995 Panorama interview (opens in new tab) a "step in the right direction. "As reported by The Guardian (opens in new tab ), the BBC has appointed former Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson to lead an investigation into how journalist Martin Bashir secured an interview with Princess Diana, who spoke candidly about the breakup of her marriage to Prince Charles and her struggles with royal life.

Kensington Palace said William "tentatively welcomes" the new inquiry into the interview. The Duke of Cambridge said, "An independent inquiry is a step in the right direction. It should help to get to the bottom of the actions that led to the Panorama interview and the subsequent decisions of BBC officials," he added.

According to the Sunday Times (opens in new tab), Bashir showed Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer, a forged bank statement in order to convince him that family staff were being paid by the Secret Service to leak information about Diana. According to a report in The Guardian (opens in new tab), in its initial investigation into the circumstances of the interview, the BBC admitted Bashir's misconduct and concluded that he "had no idea" when he asked for the fake bank statements.

The BBC also said that during its initial investigation it received a handwritten note from Diana clarifying that she was not coerced into the interview and did not agree to participate in it as a result of the forged bank statement. The broadcaster later claimed to have lost that memo, but announced last week that it had been located (opens in new tab).