The BBC is in the doghouse. Even its own staff are appalled to hear how the corporation betrayed its own values concerning the activities of one of its journalists, Martin Bashir. Not only was he allowed to act in the way he did to secure an exclusive interview with Princess Diana, but senior executives then brushed aside the compelling evidence that he had done something seriously wrong.

To ingratiate himself with Earl Spencer, her brother, Bashir used forged documents to persuade her that some of her closest confidants were spying on her for money. It was by no means the only factor, but Bashir’s dishonesty fuelled the paranoia Diana was already feeling, and accelerated the breakdown of her relationship with Prince Charles and the royal family. But she was her own woman: she wanted the interview for her own purposes.