PRINCESS Diana's brother Earl Spencer has met with the mother of Babes in the Wood victim, Michelle Hadaway.

Both Earl Spencer and Ms Hadaway were let down by disgraced BBC reporter Martin Bashir.

Bashir deceived Earl Spencer as part of a plot to gain an interview with Princess Diana. Ms Hadaway was persuaded to give the journalist the bloodied clothes worn by her daughter, Karen, the clothes were then lost and never returned.

The Mail on Sunday has reported that Earl Spencer invited Ms Hadaway, 65, to his family home in Northamptonshire. The venue, Althorp House, was where Mr Bashir used forged documents to persuade Earl Spencer to help him.

The Argus: Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway were murdered by Russell Bishop in Brighton in 1986.Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway were murdered by Russell Bishop in Brighton in 1986. (Image: The Argus)

Ms Hadaway spoke of her vulnerability at the hands of Mr Bashir and how she had trusted him because he was part of the BBC.

Ms Hadaway was accompanied by her daughter Lyndsey.

The bodies of Karen and her friend Nicola Fellows, both aged nine, were found in woodland near their Brighton homes in October 1986. Their killer, Russell Bishop, was acquitted of their murder the following year after a botched prosecution. He was finally convicted of the crimes in 2018.

The programme Bashir told her he needed them for was never broadcast and it does not appear as if the clothes were ever tested.

The family asked for the clothes to be returned in 2004 so they could be given to Sussex Police who were reviewing the case. The BBC said it made ‘extensive enquiries’ to find the clothes but they were not found.

The Argus: Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother. Photo: BBC/ PanoramaEarl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother. Photo: BBC/ Panorama

The Corporation has now tasked former BBC executive Paul Smith with launching a fresh bid to find the clothes.

The Metropolitan Police announced last month they would not launch a criminal investigation into Mr Bashir’s Diana interview, despite a devastating report by former Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson.

Earl Spencer is challenging this decision.

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.