Why Martin Bashir Won't Be Prosecuted For His Shady Princess Diana Interview

BBC journalist Martin Bashir left the BBC in May 2021, officially citing — per The New York Times – a heart condition, which has previously required surgery. His decision to leave his post, however, corresponded with an explosive investigation into the unscrupulous lengths he went to land a sit-down with Princess Diana. Bashir did not escape unscathed. After BBC published the Dyson Report, which bashed Bashir for fabricating documents helping him gain access to the princess, Prince Harry condemned the interview as part of a "ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices" that led to his mother's death (via BBC). 

The BBC, for its part, has promised the royal family to pay the amount equivalent to what it made off of global rights to the interview — a whopping 1.5 million pounds — to The Firm's charity of choice. It will also, according to The Times, pay 350,000 pounds worth of reparations. But Bashir will not face criminal prosecution for his unethical conduct. 

As reported by BBC, Scotland Yard studied the Dyson Report after it was released in May to determine whether Martin Bashir's conduct was unlawful. As per a statement released by the Metropolitan Police Service, "specialist detectives assessed [the report's] contents and looked carefully at the law — once again obtaining independent legal advice from Treasury Counsel as well as consulting the Crown Prosecution Service." After doing so, according to the statement, the police failed to identify "evidence of activity that constituted a criminal offense and will therefore be taking no further action."

Bashir has apologized for his conduct leading up to the interview. He has, however — as The Times reports — remained steadfast in insisting that neither were his intention malicious nor the interview's outcomes undesired. "I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don't believe we did," Bashir has maintained. "Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents."