Journalist Martin Bashir resigned from the BBC before the network published an inquiry report into whether he used deceptive means to secure an interview with Princess Diana.
The Guardian reported that BBC's deputy director of news, Jonathan Munro, alerted staff in an internal email on Friday.
"Martin Bashir has stepped down from his position as the BBC's religion editor and is 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," the memo read. "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's 1995 "Panorama" interview with Diana became infamous for her unexpectedly candid answers and Buckingham Palace's swift response. One particular line that caused controversy was when Diana spoke about Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.
"There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Diana, who separated from Charles in 1992, told Bashir.
Charles publicly admitted to an affair with Bowles in June 1994. The interview led Queen Elizabeth II to order that Diana and Charles push forward with a divorce, which was finalized in 1996.
The interview, which nearly 23 million people viewed at the time, became a career highlight for Bashir — but there have been questions over how he persuaded Diana to do the interview.
An October 2020 article from the Sunday Times alleged that Bashir manipulated Diana into completing the interview by showing her brother, Charles Spencer, fake bank statements.
Bashir allegedly used the fake bank statements to convince Spencer that the media was paying associates of the royal family for inside information about Diana.
Spencer echoed the allegations against Bashir with two Twitter posts on November 8. One day later, the BBC said it would conduct a "robust" inquiry into how Bashir secured the interview.
—Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) November 8, 2020
—Charles Spencer (@cspencer1508) November 8, 2020
"The BBC is taking this very seriously and we want to get to the truth," Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, told Reuters. "We are in the process of commissioning a robust and independent investigation."
In a rare statement, Prince William voiced his support for the inquiry and called it a "step in the right direction."
"The independent investigation is a step in the right direction," he said. "It should help establish the truth behind the actions that led to the Panorama interview and subsequent decisions taken by those in the BBC at the time."
