Princess Diana’s
brother Earl Spencer has broken his silence on the BBC’s decision to
pay ‘substantial damages’ to ex-royal nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
Taking to his Twitter, Charles
penned a personal message which read: “While I’m delighted to see that another
innocent victim of this appalling scandal is being vindicated, it’s amazing to
me that no criminal charges have been levelled against those responsible,
yet.”
His impassioned tweet comes
after the BBC was ordered to pay damages to Tiggy after the news outlet’s
‘fabricated’ allegations claiming she’d had an affair with Prince Charles
were used to secure a Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of
Wales.
In a bid to clear her name,
Tiggy brought a defamation claim against the BBC over their “false
and malicious” allegations that she had an affair with the royal in
1995 whilst she was working as his personal assistant. The court was also told
on Thursday how Tiggy was falsely accused of falling pregnant with Charles’
baby and having an abortion.
Speaking of her legal ordeal,
Tiggy said: “Sadly, I am one of many people whose lives have been scarred
by the deceitful way in which the BBC Panorama was made and the BBC’s
subsequent failure to properly investigate the making of the programme.
“The distress caused to
the royal family is a source of great upset to me. I know first-hand how much
they were affected at the time, and how the programme and the false narrative
it created have haunted the family in the years since.
“Especially because,
still today, so much about the making of the programme is yet to be adequately
explained.”
Tiggy, who is now known as
Alexandra Pettifer, is widely known for her role as Princes William and Harry’s
nanny during the 1990s. The former royal nanny was hired by Prince Charles in
1993 to help look after the young royals following Charles’ separation
from Diana. Tiggy worked in the role for six years before quitting in 1999.
Tiggy has managed to maintain
a close relationship with several members of the royal family, in particular
with Prince Harry and Meghan. The duo even chose Tiggy to be their son Archie’s
godmother and she was seen attending his christening in 2019.
