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    British TV to air Diana’s recordings on her failed marriage

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    In this Wednesday, June 20, 1990 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana and Prince Charles, take shelter under an umbrella while attending the second day of the Royal Ascot horse race meet near London. (AP Photo/Martyn Hayhow, File)

    By Sylvia Hui

    LONDON (AP) --

    A British television channel is broadcasting a new documentary on Princess Diana using controversial videotapes in which she candidly discussed her marital problems and her strained relationship with the royal family.

    The recordings of Diana talking to her public speaking coach, Peter Settelen, in the early 1990s included her description of how Queen Elizabeth II reacted when she asked the monarch for advice about her failing marriage with Prince Charles.

    "So I went to the top lady, sobbing. And I said 'What do I do? I'm coming to you, what do I do?' And she said 'I don't know what you should do,'" Diana said. "And that was it. And that was help."

    This year marks the 20th anniversary of Diana's death in a Paris car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, which was followed by an outpouring of grief in Britain and beyond.

    Diana and Charles married in 1981 and divorced in 1996 after having two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The tapes include her discussing Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, whom Charles later married in 2005.

    The recordings also show Diana talking about falling  "deeply in love" with a man widely believed to be her protection officer, Barry Mannakee, as well as Charles' attempts to woo her during a barbeque in 1979 when she was 18.

    Police held some of the videotapes after they were seized in ex-royal butler Paul Burrell's home in 2001. Diana's family tried to make a legal claim to the recordings, but they were returned to Settelen in 2004.

    Excerpts of the recordings were aired in the U.S. in 2004 but they have never been screened in Britain. The documentary airs Aug. 6 on Channel 4.

     

    Tags:Prince CharlesPrincess Diana



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

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