Close to three decades since Princess Diana's candid interview with Martin Bashir in 1995, her ex-lover, James Hewitt, has spoken out on the controversial TV broadcast watched by millions.

More than 20 million people in the U.K. watched Diana's sit-down with Bashir for the BBC's "Panorama" program, with the viewership reaching 200 million worldwide.

During the sit-down, she spoke about her volatile marriage with Prince Charles and the affairs she took part in during their marriage, including one with Hewitt.

Hewitt, who was linked to the late princess between 1986 and 1991, opened up about how the interview affected him.

Bashir tricked Diana into giving away private information, he said.

Hewitt told The Sun, "I think the chap needs to seriously search his conscience. To do it by deception is unforgivable and there is very little road back from that."

"I don't know him personally, but I think any underhandedness — and particularly if it's taking advantage of someone's weakness and being a toad — is wrong," he added. "It did affect me, and it had a huge effect."

In the interview, Diana made her famously poignant remark about her marriage, saying "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

She also confessed her love for Hewitt but expressed disappointment in their relationship.

A formal inquiry in 2021 found that Bashir used "deceitful methods" to obtain the interview, including giving false information about Diana's friends.

The results have elicited reactions from the members of the royal family, with Prince William denouncing Bashir's behavior as "rogue" and the BBC's actions as invasive in nature.

According to Prince William, the failures of the network played a major role in his mother's subsequent fears and isolation in the last years of her life.

Elsewhere in the interview, Hewitt also spoke about why he has remained single since the late princess. While he has not ruled out having a family of his own, he admitted that "it's ­difficult to envisage now."

"I do think I've missed out on that," he said. "I would have liked to have had children but there we are, you can't have everything in life."

Hewit got candid about being single, saying, "I think it's pretty obvious given my history, and the difficulties thereafter, and having been the most hated person in the world."

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Princess Diana, Prince William