Prince William has welcomed an investigation into whether the BBC obtained an explosive 1995 interview with Princess Diana through deceptive means as "a step in the right direction."
The BBC has launched an independent investigation to determine whether journalist Martin Bashir, 57, used fake documents to coerce Diana into the interview.
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She famously told Bashir her marriage was "a bit crowded" and that there were "three of us in this marriage," in reference to husband Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
A statement issued by Kensington Palace said that William, Diana's older son, "tentatively welcomed the investigation."
“The independent investigation is a step in the right direction," William said in the statement. "It should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the Panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time."
The interview was watched by 20 million people and sent shockwaves through the royal family. Diana divorced Charles in 1996, just months after the interview, and then died the next year in a car crash in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi. Charles married Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005.
The old wounds have been reopened for the royal family with the release of the fourth season of the Netflix hit "The Crown," which features a fictional take on Charles and Diana's marriage.
The 1995 interview also came under renewed scrutiny this month after the release of a new documentary by British broadcaster ITV called "The Diana Interview: Revenge of a Princess." The film alleges Bashir had a graphic designer create fake bank statements that he used to convince Diana's brother that she was being spied on by royal employees.
Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, tweeted on Nov. 8 that he knew Bashir "used fake bank statements and other dishonesty to get my sister to do the interview." He also claimed that he found out two weeks ago that the BBC also knew about the fake bank statements.
"Not only knew about it, but that they covered it up," Spencer tweeted.
The BBC said in a statement that it's taking all of the allegations very seriously and claims to have found a handwritten note from Diana reportedly missing for years in which she allegedly said the fake bank documents did not play a role in her decision to speak with Bashir.
An internal BBC investigation in 1996 found Bashir innocent of any allegations. Bashir has not commented on the latest investigation, and the BBC says he is recovering from serious coronavirus complications and heart surgery.