Prince William was focused on the task at hand as he visited Hampton Court Palace this evening in his first public appearance since The Crown confirmed its new series will show Princess Diana’s infamous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.
The Prince of Wales attended the annual Tusk Conservation Awards, of which he is patron, after Netflix dropped the trailer for series five of the fictionalised royal drama which included a tease of the 1995 interview – which William had previously asked media outlets never to air again.
Describing the BBC interview as ‘unethical’, he claimed it triggered the events that caused his mother to lose her life two years later. Despite fans of the show initially thinking just a few seconds of the interview would be depicted, it has now been reported that it will instead be shortened to a four-minute and 23-second segment.
This evening the Prince of Wales, 40, looked focused as he attended the event in a display of stoicism as he carries out his royal duty. Wearing a black tuxedo with a shiny black bow-tie and a poppy on his lapel ahead of Remembrance Day on 11 November, he was professional as ever.
The Prince of Wales (pictured) looked stoic and focused on the task at hand as he attended the annual Tusk Conservation Awards at Hampton Court Palace this evening after it was confirmed The Crown will show an interview he hoped would never be aired again
William, 40, showed professionalism and commitment to royal duties as he appeared focused despite the Netflix show confirming it would show four minutes of Princess Diana’s 1995 interview with Martin Bashir, which the Prince of Wales has since blasted as ‘unethical’
After helping to launch the ceremony in 2013, the father-of-three has continued to work with Tusk as it celebrates the work of conservation leaders and wildlife rangers in Africa.
This year, awards alumni from across Africa will come together to attend the event in London, including Benson Kanyembo, a Law Enforcement Advisor at Conservation South Luangwa in Zambia, who helped to reduce elephant mortality rates by 66% between 2018-2020.
Another guest of honour is Edward Ndiritu, the Head of Anti-Poaching at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, who has sustained a poaching level of near zero for seven years and counting across the Lewa landscape.
Other guests at the star-studded awards ceremony included Dragons Den businesswoman Deborah Meaden, journalist Kate Silverton and William’s cousin, Peter Phillips.
The Prince of Wales shook hands with CEO of Tusk, Charlie Mayhew as he arrived at the Awards Ceremony at Hampton Court Palace this evening
Prince William, 40, was professional as ever on the red carpet as he attended the annual awards ceremony after he first helped to found Tusk in 2013
The father-of-two appeared to entertain the guests as he arrived at the annual Tusk Conservation Awards at Hampton Court Palace
The Prince of Wales smiled as he shook hands with a guest on the red carpet ahead of the 10th annual awards ceremony
Despite a royal expert claiming William would likely be ‘furious’ about The Crown revelations earlier today, the Prince of Wales seemed optimistic about the evening ahead
William looked suave in a black tuxedo with a shiny black bow tie and a poppy on his lapel ahead of Remembrance Day on 11 November
Earlier today it was reported series five of The Crown, which will depict the 1990s and the split between Prince William’s parents, will show a four-minute long dramatisation of Diana’s infamous BBC Panorama interview, which the Prince of Wales has since described as ‘unethical’
As the Prince of Wales approached guests on the red carpet he appeared jovial, allowing himself to get excited about the evening’s events, which will celebrate conservation work
William looked ready for businedd as he clasped his hands together while chatting to guests on the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony
Prince William’s cousin, Peter Phillips, attended the annual Tusk Conservation Awards at Hampton Court Palace, in his first appearance since his brother-in-law Mike Tindall was confirmed in the line up for the new series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Peter Phillips (pictured) is the brother of Zara Phillips and the son of Princess Anne, making him the Prince of Wales’s first cousin
Princess Anne’s son, 44, made his first public appearance since his brother-in-law Mike Tindall was confirmed in the line-up for the new series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here following weeks of speculation.
As the Prince of Wales remained professional while carrying out his charitable duty, royal commentator Ingrid Seaward told The Sun he is likely to be ‘furious’ about the revelations regarding the depiction of his late mother’s interview in the new series of The Crown.
The Majesty Magazine editor-in-chief told the newspaper: ‘[William] said his piece when he said it should never be aired again. This is his mother and her memory they are doing this to.
‘They should have listened to him. The interview has no credibility after the investigation. Everyone knows it has no legitimacy now.
‘Charles will think they can say whatever they want about him but leave Harry and William out of it. He won’t give a stuff about how he comes across but just don’t attack his sons this way.’
The newspaper also reported that scenes will show Prince William watching the interview on TV while in his Eton uniform while Charles will be seen shouting and sobbing as she casts doubts on his ability to be King.
After carrying out an investigation into how Martin Bashir secured the 1995 interview, in which Diana famously declared there had been ‘three people’ in her marriage, Lord Dyson concluded the journalist had ‘acted inappropriately’ in securing the interview by mocking up fake bank statements and showing them to Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer in order to get access to her.
Reacting to Lord Dyson’s damning report into how the original interview was obtained, Prince William made a televised statement which was deeply critical of The BBC.
He said: ‘It is welcome that the BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full – which are extremely concerning – that BBC employees: lied and used fake documents to obtain the interview with my mother; made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fuelled paranoia; displayed woeful incompetence when investigating complaints and concerns about the programme; and were evasive in their reporting to the media and covered up what they knew from their internal investigation.’
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