The British BBC pays compensation to Alexandra Pettifer (57), the former nanny of Prince William (40) and Prince Harry (37), after false claims that she allegedly had an affair with her father Prince Charles (73). Pettifer, better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, received an apology in court, the BBC explains. The broadcaster is "extremely sorry" for the "serious and lasting damage" that had been caused. The BBC will pay attorneys' fees and pay Pettifer "substantial" compensation, which will not be disclosed.
In a statement to the court, Pettifers' lawyer said there were "serious and completely unfounded allegations" that the plaintiff had "an affair with the Prince of Wales". It was alleged that the affair resulted in a pregnancy and an abortion. "These allegations were fabricated."
Pettifer has not known the source of these claims for the past 25 years. According to her lawyer, they were probably created as part of an attempt to win Princess Diana (1961-1997) for a scandalous interview. The journalist Martin Bashir (59) had tricked himself into a legendary interview with Diana with false claims.
According to investigations, Bashir is said to have presented fake bank statements that allegedly showed that palace employees close to Diana received secret payments. This finally led to her decision to take part in the interview for the program "Panorama" in 1995. As explained in the statement before the court, Diana told her lawyer at the time of the hearing for the interview that she had been informed about Pettifer's alleged abortion.
The broadcaster, meanwhile, acknowledges that the allegations made were "baseless" and "should never have been made." At that time, they also failed to "investigate serious concerns appropriately".
BBC boss Tim Davie (55) apologized not only to the former nanny of Diana's sons, but also to Prince Charles, William and Harry "for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and for the subsequent impact on all her lives". Now that it is known in what "shocking manner" the interview was obtained, "I have decided that the BBC will never air the program again". The broadcaster will also not issue a license that other broadcasters would need to show the interview in whole or in part.
