Jennie Bond’s illustrious journalism career stretches back over five decades, during which she has covered a vast array of remarkable stories.
In 1989, she took on the role of Royal Correspondent for the BBC, a position she held for 14 years before stepping down in 2003 to dedicate more time to her family and pursue freelance work.
During her time as a royal reporter, however, she forged a close friendship with Lady Diana, which she discussed with Raj Bisram during her appearance on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. A repeat of that episode aired this evening (June 20) on BBC Two.
The BBC antiques expert quizzed her on just how close their relationship was, to which she responded: “I was a journalist that she got along with and shared confidences with.
View 4 ImagesJennie spoke about her professional friendship with Lady Diana(Image: BBC)
“You know, ‘There were three of us in this marriage,’ all this sort of stuff.”
“Then, at the end, annoyingly, she’d say, ‘Of course, Jennie, this is just between you and me and these four walls.’ I’d think, ‘Ugh!’ So I kept it that way.”
Raj then asked which interview throughout Jennie’s career had left the greatest impression on her, reports Devon Live.
She answered: “I suppose, when I challenged her in Angola on the land mine mission, when she was trying to get an international ban on land mines.
View 4 ImagesJennie spoke about confronting Lady Diana in Angola(Image: BBC)
“I said, ‘Ma’am, you’ve been accused of being a loose cannon,’ and she was very shocked and said, ‘I’m just trying to be a humanitarian. That’s it.'”.
“That was pretty momentous. It made an awful lot of news.”
At the time, Lady Diana was described as a ‘loose cannon’ by a junior government Cabinet minister who condemned her position on landmines.
View 4 ImagesLady Diana was shocked over being called a ‘loose cannon'(Image: BBC)
The tense exchange, which took place in 1997, was captured in a documentary of the time, showing Lady Diana’s response to Jennie’s pointed question.
Article continues below
She said: “I’m only trying to highlight a problem that’s going on all around the world. That’s all.”
She was subsequently filmed climbing into a waiting car, visibly moved by Jennie’s remark, as she told the camera team: “I might really burst into tears now. Who said I’m a loose cannon?”
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.