Journalist recalls Princess Diana's last days

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's been nearly twenty years since the death of Princess Diana. As the anniversary approaches, a bombshell new documentary retraces her final days, including that fateful night in Paris.

ABC 7's Judy Hsu spoke with journalist Martin Bashir who will host the two-hour special that airs on ABC on Sunday.

It's the fairy tale story that captivated the world: young girl, only 20 years old and marrying a prince.

"They couldn't keep their hands off each other initially. He would sort of squeeze her bottom in public, which is very un-regal, but he did," said former Royal Press Secretary Dicky Arbiter.

What the world didn't know, but Diana did, was Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. A betrayal she felt from the beginning. Camilla was present against Diana's wishes on her wedding day.

The princess described the relationship in an exclusive interview with journalist Martin Bashir. It was the only time she ever talked about it on the record.

"Do you think Mrs. Parker Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?" said Bashir during the interview.

"Well, there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded," said Diana.

Bashir revisited that interview in the special, which for the first time traces the exact timeline of Diana's last 100 days.

Judy Hsu: "Do we get to finally see a side of Diana that we never saw before?"

Martin Bashir: "I don't think anybody has put together such a forensic and definitive account of the last 100 days of her life. There have been many conspiracy theories about what exactly happened at the end and I think this program will put a rest to all of those."

In particular stories about the two men in her life and her struggle to find love.

Bashir: "She was desperately keen to have a life with the British-Pakastani heart surgeon Dr. Hasnat Khan. He was reluctant. At the same time she was being pursued by Dodi Al Fayed. As we get to the final 48 hours, she's in Paris with Al Fayed, but there were other things happening around her which I think will be a surprise to the audience."

That surprise has to do with a phone call that Diana received. She also told her butler to tell her children that she would be home the next morning. She never made it.

"The Last 100 Days of Diana" premieres Sunday, May 7, at 8 p.m. on ABC 7.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC and this station.