Prince William and Harry’s nanny compensated for abortion claims
The former nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry will reportedly be paid damages over claims BBC reporter Martin Bashir alleged she had an affair with Prince Charles that resulted in her aborting his child.
Investigations into how Bashir secured the tell-all 1995 interview with Princess Diana found that Bashir had faked an abortion receipt for Tiggy Pettifer - née Legge-Bourke.
Bashir told Diana that Charles was in love with the nanny, claiming the pair went on a holiday together for two weeks.
A source told The Telegraph that the BBC will pay Ms Pettifer £100,000 ($NZD 195, 835) in damages after acknowledging the suffering that resulted from the false claims.
“Tiggy Legge-Bourke was right at the centre of Bashir’s manipulation and it is right that the damage caused to her is recognised by the BBC,” the source told the publication.
At the time of Bashir’s interview, Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton confirmed in The Daily Mail that Bashir’s claims had had a significant impact on the princess.
“Diana changed from being very concerned with day-to-day matters, just like any normal friend, to suddenly becoming obsessed with plots against her,” she wrote at the time.
Ms Monckton said Diana had also become “obsessed” with the idea that Prince Charles was having an affair with Ms Pettifer and believed claims the nanny was pregnant.
The abortion and affair claims were some of the alleged underhanded methods Bashir used to secure the interview.
Since the allegations have come to light, Bashir has stood down from the BBC.
Ms Pettifer was hired by Prince Chales as a nanny shortly after he and Diana separated in 1993.
Ms Pettifer would join the family on holidays and has maintained a close relationship with the royals, especially with the princes.
She attended both of their weddings and was named as the godmother of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first child, Archie.
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