Everything To Know About Netflix’s New Princess Diana Documentary

Netflix’s Diana: The Interview That Shook The World doc about Princess Diana’s unforgettable 1995 interview drops on April 11, and it’s already sending shockwaves through the royal world. Before you settle in for another royals-themed binge-watch, take a look back at how momentous this interview truly was.

More than 23 million people in the United Kingdom tuned in to watch Diana’s Panorama interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir. Filled with revelations about Diana and Prince Charles’ marriage, the broadcast eventually led to an investigation conducted by the BBC and resulted in a blow to Bashir’s reputation.

Bashir won multiple awards for his work on the interview, including Journalist of the Year in 1996, but he later faced allegations of manipulating and lying to Diana to secure her trust and permission to interview.

In the interview, Diana revealed if she thought Prince Charles was fit to rule and the tipping point in her marriage: their 1983 tour of Australia and New Zealand. (Season 4 of The Crown fictionalized some moments.) She told Bashir, “When we flew back from New Zealand, I was a different person.”

Diana also noted that she was aware of Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, his current wife. When asked if Camilla had anything to do with the disintegration of her marriage, Diana famously stated, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

In addition, Princess Di opened up about her struggles with self-harm and bulimia. She shared, “I did inflict upon myself. I didn’t like myself; I was ashamed because I couldn’t cope with the pressures.”

She also discussed being seen as a “threat of some kind” by members of the royal family. “They have decided that I’m a non-starter because I do things differently. Because I don’t go by a rule book. Because I lead from the heart, not the head,” she told Bashir.

Although Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated in 1992, Diana’s interview with Bashir was the catalyst to Queen Elizabeth II ordering the pair to officially divorce. They did just that in 1996, and Princess Diana died in a car accident a year later, in 1997.

Looking back, Diana and Meghan Markle’s tell-alls share haunting similarities. Both detailed their naivete about royal life, the intense media scrutiny, the mental health issues they faced, and their decisions to step back from royal duties and lead more private lives.

The interview encouraged her brother, Charles Spencer, to write a letter to the BBC detailing his disapproval in 2020. Spencer also accused the broadcasting giant of using fake documents in hopes of landing a sit-down with Diana.

Netflix’s upcoming documentary initially premiered in the United Kingdom in October 2020, and shortly after that and Spencer’s letter, Prince William said an investigation into the “actions that led to the Panorama interview” was “a step in the right direction.”

In January 2021, Diana's former lover, Hasnat Khan, 62, said he believed she was "manipulated” by Bashir. However, in March, Scotland Yard stated they would not move forward with a criminal investigation against the BBC reporter.

Due to the content of Diana’s interview, some suspect the royal family will not be pleased with it finding a wider audience via Netflix’s documentary, which reportedly “features testimony from both BBC insiders and some of those closest to Diana.”