In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died after a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel beside the River Seine in Paris. The Mercedes carrying her struck a concrete pillar while being pursued by press photographers. Diana was 36. Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were also killed; bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor.
French investigators concluded that Paul had been driving at excessive speed while affected by alcohol and prescription drugs. The crash nevertheless became the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, including claims that Diana and Dodi were deliberately killed, that British intelligence or members of the Royal Family were involved, and that the collision had been engineered to prevent an alleged marriage or pregnancy.
These allegations were examined in detail by Britain’s Operation Paget investigation, which found no evidence of a conspiracy to murder Diana. A subsequent British inquest, concluded in 2008, returned a verdict of unlawful killing caused by the grossly negligent driving of Henri Paul and the pursuing paparazzi.
