Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
East entrance to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, where Diana was fatally injured. | |
| Date | 31 August 1997 |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 48°51′51.7″N 2°18′06.8″E / 48.864361°N 2.301889°E[1] |
| Type | Car crash Death caused by dangerous driving |
| Deaths |
|
| Non-fatal injuries | Trevor Rees-Jones |
| Inquiries | French criminal trial (1999) Operation Paget (2008) |
| Accused |
|
| Charges | Invasion of privacy[a] |
| Verdict | French criminal trial: Not guilty[2] Operation Paget: Unlawful killing |
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died from injuries sustained in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France, earlier that night. Dodi Fayed, Diana's partner, and the driver, Mercedes-Benz chauffeur Henri Paul, were both found dead inside the car. Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor of the crash, said to be seriously injured. The subsequent investigation into the crash remained controversial for decades, with many challenging the official narrative of Diana's death.
In 1999, a French investigation concluded that Paul, who was intoxicated and under the influence of prescription drugs, lost control of the vehicle at high speed. The report held him solely responsible for the crash. Paul was the deputy head of security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris and had earlier confronted paparazzi waiting for Diana and Fayed outside the hotel.[3] Antidepressants and traces of an anti-psychotic found in his blood may have compounded his impairment.[4] In 2008, a British inquest, Operation Paget, returned a verdict of unlawful killing, citing the grossly negligent driving of both Paul and the pursuing paparazzi.[5] While initial media reports suggested Rees-Jones survived because he was wearing a seat belt, later investigations confirmed that none of the car's occupants were belted.[6]
Diana was 36 years old at the time of her death.[7] Her death prompted an international outpouring of grief,[8] and her televised funeral was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide.[9]
- ^ "Plan of Alma Tunnel" (PDF). Coroner's Inquests into the Deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr Dodi Al Fayed. Computer Aided Modelling Bureau, Metropolitan Police Service. November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Director: David Bartlett, Executive Producer: David Upshal. "The Coronation of Elizabeth II/The Death of Diana". Days That Shook the World.
- ^ Nundy, Julian; Graves, David. "Diana crash caused by chauffeur, says report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2002.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (7 April 2008). "Diana jury blames paparazzi and Henri Paul for her 'unlawful killing'". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ Sephton, Connor (28 August 2017). "Trevor Rees-Jones: What happened to the sole survivor of Diana's crash". Sky News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ Johnston, Carla B. (1998). Global News Access: The Impact of New Communications Technologies. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-275-95774-2. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
WorldMournswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
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