An interview with Princess Diana.. she finished everything and today the accusations are back

Although the former director-general of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall, has resigned from his position as head of the British National Gallery amidst widespread outrage after an investigation into a BBC interview with the late Princess Diana decades ago continues.

Lord Hall - who was director of news when journalist Martin Bashir used a deceptive tactic to get the scoop in 1995 - said his continuation (in his position) would be a "distraction".

The latest inquiry described Lord Hall's internal inquiry in 1996 into what had happened, as "totally ineffective".

Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, has asked the Metropolitan Police to investigate the BBC, but a police spokesman would not comment on whether the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, had received a letter from Earl Spencer, who claimed his sister was the victim of extortion and fraud.

 London police said they would evaluate the new report to "determine the extent to which there is significant new evidence", having previously made a decision to decline a criminal investigation.

This may lead the British police to change their previous decision.

An independent investigation by former senior judge, Lord Dyson, found that Bashir was unreliable and dishonest, and that the BBC did not meet its high standards when answering questions about the interview.

It was also found that Bashir had seriously violated BBC rules by fabricating false documents, which he showed to Earl Spencer for an interview.

Since the report was published last Thursday, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, has blamed the BBC's failures for fueling his mother's paranoia and the poor relationship between his parents. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, also spoke about the hurt caused by the interview.

A senior Conservative MP said the BBC still had questions to answer about the interview.

Julian Knight, chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, which scrutinizes the BBC, said he wanted to know why Bashir was reappointed as a reporter in 2016 - when Lord Hall was the foundation's director-general - and later appointed religious editor.

He also said the BBC should have an "open mind" about compensating whistleblowers, such as graphic designer Matt Whistler, who raised suspicions about the fake bank statements Bashir used to get Diana's interview.

The BBC has defended Bashir's reappointment, saying the position was filled after competitive personality tests.

Bashir left the BBC earlier this month without charge.

The investigation was carried out at the BBC's request last year, after Earl Spencer publicly complained about the methods used to persuade his sister to give the interview.

The interview was broadcast in November 1995, and it was the first time that a member of the royal family spoke in such frank terms about life inside the corridors of the royal palace, and relationships with other members of the family.

Speaking of her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles, the princess said: "There were three of us in that marriage," referring to his relationship with another woman.

Shortly thereafter, the Queen wrote to Prince Charles and Princess Diana asking them to divorce.

The princess died in 1997, after the car she was traveling in crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris.

Lord Hall has been a Trustee of the British National Gallery since November 2019, then Chairman of the Board in July 2020.

Lord Hall added in his resignation statement: "I am deeply sorry for the events that occurred 25 years ago, and I believe leadership means taking responsibility."

Dr Gabriel Vinaldi, Director of the National Gallery, thanked Lord Hall for his work with the institution, while Sir John Kingman, deputy chair of the National Gallery Board of Trustees, said the museum was "extremely sorry to lose it".

The findings of the investigation were published last Thursday, and Lord Dyson concluded: