Martin Bashir’s image is to be removed from his old university’s ‘wall of fame’ after he was found to have lied to obtain his Princess Diana interview.
It is the latest humiliation for Bashir who was found to have told a total of 38 lies, smears and allegations to earn Diana’s confidence by the Dyson report published two weeks ago.
A spokesman for King’s College London, where Bashir studied religious history as a postgraduate, said: ‘We feel that, in light of the recent events, it is no longer appropriate to include his profile in our display.’
It is the latest humiliation for Bashir who was found to have told a total of 38 lies, smears and allegations to earn Diana’s confidence by the Dyson report published two weeks ago
A spokesman for King’s College London, where Bashir studied religious history as a postgraduate, said: ‘We feel that, in light of the recent events, it is no longer appropriate to include his profile in our display’
The gallery is displayed in the windows of the university’s building on The Strand in central London.
Bashir’s name is also no longer on the university’s online lists of notable alumni.
Martin Bashir is ‘frozen out’ of his $25k-a-time US public speaking gigs after booking agency removes his profile
Infamous Princess Diana interviewer Martin Bashir has been booted from his lucrative public speaking work after a bombshell report claimed he tricked Diana into going on camera with him in 1995.
Bashir’s profile on Celebrity Talent International (CTI), where he previously billed $25,000 for a single speaking engagement, was removed last week following claims he forged documents and lied to get his landmark sit-down with the Princess of Wales.
The former MSNBC anchor was listed on the site alongside stars like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and performers like Taylor Swift until last Tuesday, when his page was replaced with the message ‘Our apologies, this profile is no longer available on our site.’
British journalist Martin Bashir (pictured in 2007) has been booted from his lucrative public speaking work in light of claims he tricked Diana into going on camera with him in 1995, DailyMail.com has learned
Bashir’s profile on Celebrity Talent International’s (CTI) website, where he previously billed $25,000 for a single speaking engagement, was removed last week following the bombshell report
Bashir’s biography on the CTI site had described him as an award-winning British journalist, trumpeting his 1995 Diana interview. Last Tuesday, it was replaced with the message ‘Our apologies, this profile is no longer available on our site’
Bashir resigned as the BBC’s religious editor in mid-May, days before the release of an excoriating report into his conduct by former UK senior judge Lord Dyson.
Dyson said Bashir forged bank statements and lied to persuade the late Princess to sit for the historic interview, and that the BBC covered up the scandal for years afterwards.
Bashir has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from his side-gig with CTI, regaling audiences with secrets about Diana, her sons Prince Harry and Prince William, and the Royal scoop.
At the time, the interview was dubbed ‘the scoop of the century,’ revealing Diana’s affair, bulimia, and her description of a ‘crowded’ marriage to the Queen’s son, Prince Charles.
But those secrets, Dyson’s report says, were all obtained through a series of lies and manipulations.
Dyson wrote that Bashir ‘commissioned fake bank statements’ and ‘deceived and induced’ Diana’s brother Charles Spencer to arrange a meeting with the princess.
Bashir infamously interviewed Princess Diana in a bombshell 1995 sit-down, her first and only television sit-down
An excoriating report by former UK senior judge Lord Dyson revealed Bashir forged bank statements and lied to persuade the late Princess to sit for the historic interview, and that the BBC covered up the scandal for years afterwards
The former MSNBC anchor had won a number of awards for his work and collected a BAFTA for the sit-down
The 127-page report was the culmination of a six-month investigation that cost the BBC $2million.
‘This behaviour was in serious breach of the 1993 edition of the BBC’s Producer Guidelines on straight dealing,’ Dyson wrote.
Bashir’s biography on the CTI website described him as an award-winning British journalist, trumpeting his Diana interview.
‘Bashir has won a number of other awards for his work and has collected a BAFTA award for his now-historic interview with the late Princess Diana, which remains her only television interview,’ the site’s now-deleted profile said.
A source close to the company told DailyMail.com that CTI was unaware of the impending explosive report, and was surprised to see a spike in hits on his profile page – but soon discovered the unflattering reason for the piqued interest in the disgraced journalist.
‘He is frozen out of this work now for sure,’ the source said. ‘He has health problems too and with this scandal public appearances may not be the best arena for him.’
Bashir, 58, contracted Covid-19 last year and has been recovering from a quadruple heart bypass surgery according to the BBC.
The BBC has sent personal letters of apology to William, Harry (pictured together) and other royals over Martin Bashir’s lies to persuade Diana to agree to his 1995 Panorama interview
‘It’s unlikely he’ll ever come back to do public speaking work in the future,’ the source added.
‘Certainly it would be difficult to imagine him doing a speech on the Diana interview in the way he did in the past.’
The CTI website previously said anyone wishing to book Bashir either for a speaking engagement or as an event host would need to spend between ‘$15,000-$24,999’.
Last year DailyMail.com revealed Bashir’s side-gig as a paid public speaker, despite his medical issues.
At the time CTI confirmed Bashir was available to ‘do a virtual event during COVID-19.’
‘Many performers, actors, speakers and other talent like Martin Bashir, with postponed or cancelled events due to COVID-19 are now, in certain cases, considering virtual appearances via live streaming,’ the booking agency stated.
‘They perhaps may accept lower fees too. If you are seriously interested in booking Martin Bashir or other talent shown on our site, we will research their desire and the specific fee for your live-streaming event or project request.’
Lord Dyson’s damning report found Bashir told Diana she was being spied on and that Prince Charles was having an affair with Tiggy Legge-Bourke, Harry and William’s nanny.
The allegedly forged bank statements he used to persuade her brother purported to show payments from Rupert Murdoch-owned media company News International to an offshore firm owned by Spencer’s former employee.
The claimed forgery used Diana’s paranoia that she was being spied on, betrayed, and should be fearful for her life.
The revelations from Bashir’s interview sent shockwaves across the world and led to the princess being ‘cast adrift’, left to fend for herself outside the royal circle.
Two years later she died in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being chased by paparazzi.
On Thursday Prince William blasted the ‘lurid and false claims’ Bashir made to get the interview with his late mother.
The Duke of Cambridge said the lies about the Royal Family ‘played on her fears and fuelled paranoia,’ while his brother Harry said the probe was the ‘first step towards justice’ for their mother.
The London Metropolitan Police said they will ‘assess the contents’ of Lord Dyson’s report to check for ‘significant new evidence’.
Scotland Yard previously decided not to begin a criminal investigation into alleged unlawful activity in connection with the 1995 broadcast.
Earlier in May Jonathan Munro, the BBC’s deputy director of news, said that Bashir had stepped down from his position as the BBC’s religion editor and was leaving the corporation.
‘He let us know of his decision last month, just before being readmitted to hospital for another surgical procedure on his heart,’ Munro wrote.
‘Although he underwent major surgery toward the end of last year, he is facing some ongoing issues and has decided to focus on his health.’
Bashir has also shut down his Twitter account.