The Death of Princess Diana by Peyton Galyean

Final Research Essay

On the night on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was killed leaving her hotel in Paris (Velasquez 1) . It was close to midnight, and many believe the paparazzi were to blame for her death. However, many do not believe in this theory leaving much speculation. Was Diana murdered by the European government? Was her driver drunk? Or did the paparazzi REALLY cause such a distraction to the driver, causing him to lose control of the car? Let's dive in and learn more about Diana, her life as a mom, and what exactly happened the night of August 31st.

Who was Princess Diana? Princess Diana of Wales was an adored woman not only in the British Royal Family, but all around the world. Born in 1961, she became Lady Diana Spencer when her father “inherited the title Earl Spencer in 1975” (“Princess Diana” 1). Diana had a love for children and moved to London soon after college, where she became “an assistant at Young England Kindergarten” (“Princess Diana” 1). It was in that city where Diana reconnected and married Prince Charles. Together the two had two sons, named William and Harry. The couple then divorced in 1996, after fifteen years of marriage. Despite divorce, Diana was “an international style icon, beloved by the British public who christened her the ‘People’s Princess’”  (Samuelson).

The fairytale like love story between Charles and Diana drove many to love her. Princess Diana and Prince Charles met at an early age due to the generation old friendship in the families. “Diana’s family, the Spencer’s, had been close to the British Royal Family for decades” (Pettinger 1). Due to this friendship, the families were often together. Diana often played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward at a young age. Although being closer to the younger boys in the family by age, Diana built a connection with their brother Charles (“Princess Diana” 1), who was thirteen years older than Diana. Diana had quite a few siblings growing up that included two older sisters, named Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother named Charles (Princess Diana: The Early Years)..

Being a mom is something Diana always wanted, as she adored children from the time she became “an assistant at Young England Kindergarten” (“Princess Diana” 1), and marriage was the first step. The Wedding of Diana and Charles was an extravagant one. Over 3,500 guests were invited to the wedding at “St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday 29 July 1981” (Pettinger 1) and “an estimated 750 million people tuned in to watch” (Samuelson). Just barely a year after the couple married,Diana and Charles welcomed their first child together, William. The couples first son William was born on June 21, 1982, and a few years later, Harry was born September 15, 1984 (Princess Diana: The Early Years). As the boys grew older, Diana took her boys on many adventures that ranged from “Disney World to McDonalds or AIDS clinics or homeless shelters” (Zambelli 1).

The marriage of Diana and Charles began falling apart in the early 1990s. the couple tried to keep “the marital problems private at first, but after the media found out, it became a national scandal”(Princess Diana: The Early Years). The coupled exchanged words through friends and press by the words “Diana thought Charles insensitive and unsupportive” and “Charles found Diana immature, needy and emotionally unstable,” (Princess Diana: The Early Years) being exchanged. The two returned to their previous affairs and “The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on 9 December 1992” ((Princess Diana: The Early Years).After the separation, Diana turned her attention to charity work. Despite the separation, millions around the world still kept track with what Diana was doing with her life. Afterall, she was the “‘People’s Princess’”  (Samuelson).

Some unique things Diana did her life were charity work and talking to the press. In one instance of her work, she “auctioned off 79 dresses raising $5.76 Million for AIDS and Breast Cancer charities,” (Zambelli 1) and she was also “the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed knowingly touching a person infected with the HIV virus” (Pettinger 1). Diana worked closely with AIDS/HIV, Land Mines, Palliative Care, Leprosy Mission, The Royal Marsden & Great Ormond Street Hospitals for Children, and Centrepoint.

In early 1197,  Diana “began a love affair with Dodi Al-Fayed -- son of the billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed”(Princess Diana: The Early Years). Although she adored and loved this man,  Diana died on August 31, 1997 in a car accident. Many believed Diana fell in love with this man “to show the world (including ex lover Hasnat Khan) that she was having a good time” (Princess Diana: The Early Years). The couple often vacationed together, and they went to Paris. Due to everyone still wanting to keep up with Diana, paparazzi was an issue. On August 30^th, Diana and Al-Fayed dined at one of his father’s restaurants and hotels. Shortly after, “the couple exited the hotel's back door and got into a Mercedes” (Princess Diana: The Early Years). Paparazzi chased the car into the “Pont de l’Alma road tunnel,” (Pettinger 1) where it later crashed. No one in the car wore a seatbelt, and after an hour of being removed from the car, Diana was pronounced dead at 4am (Princess Diana: The Early Years).

Over the years, lots of conspiracy theories have erupted about Princess Diana's death since August of 1997. Due to paparazzi being such an issue due to them being constantly around, many believe they were the cause of the crash, while others believe it was planned by the government, or that her driver was drunk.

The first theory deals with paparazzi. Paparazzi had often been a problem with Diana, as many around the world looked up to her, and as she was called “the ‘People’s Princess’” (Samuelson). Prince Harry, Diana’s son, said in a documentary, that “every single time she went out there'd be a pack of people waiting for her” and “she'd had a confrontation with photographers on the way to the gym, on the way outside, just trying to do day to day stuff” (Jones). Because of this situation, it was such a key reason to point fingers at them for her death. A jury was put together after Diana's death, and they came to the conclusion that “she was ‘unlawfully killed’ by both the reckless driving of their chauffeur and the paparazzi who were chasing her” (Samuelson). The cause of the reckless driving was the driver of the car trying to get away from the crowds of paparazzi. Before her death, Diana's car was “being pursued by a pack of French paparazzi as she sped through Paris,” (Holloway) while vacationing with her new lover Dodi Al-Fayed. Although paparazzi cannot be the actual reason of her death, “but people believed it in 1997” (Puente), and they still do today in 2018.

The second theory is a plan by the government. This might be an odd theory, but to some it's just understanding that “someone wanted to kill Diana, and they helped orchestrate that night’s fatal crash” (Griffin). Many speculations have come up with a reason why the government wanted to kill Diana. Some of them include, the thought of her being pregnant, ther knowing she would be killed, and the doctors killing her” (Griffin). The thought of Diana being pregnant with Mohamed al-Fayed's son could not be accepted due to unsettlement of “an Egyptian Muslim could eventually be the stepfather of the future King of England, and so it plotted to kill her off” (Griffin). However, there was no sign of pregnancy after examination. Reports came up of Diana having an affair with her bodyguard. After speculations, he was killed, and Diana also believed she would be killed after he had died while he “ had been riding as a pillion passenger on a motorbike – that bike crashed into another car that was coming out of a junction, intentionally, according to some” (Griffin). She has fears of that happening to her too. The thought of her doctors not giving their pull potential for her arose too. Diana was in France when her vehicle crashed, not in the UK. The two countries do things a bit different, such as emergency care, “in France, emergency crews focus on giving treatment at the scene before moving a person to hospital; in the UK, it’s about getting to the hospital sooner” (Griffin). This little factor and difference could have been the ultimate factor in determining Diana's life or death.

The third and final theory is her driver being drunk. Reports came out “that Diana had been in a car driven by a man who was drunk” (Griffin) named Henri Paul. Police reported that “Paul was three times over the French drink-driving limit when the car smashed into a pillar of the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris” (Stinson). The legal limit is 0.5mg/ml and “that much booze would leave a 165-pound man seeing double and unable to walk without staggering” (Princess Diana's Driver Was Drunk When She Died in 1997 - NY Daily News). Due to Paul being so intoxicated, he could not entirely see straight and was going upwards of 120 miles per hour (Princess Diana's Driver Was Drunk When She Died in 1997 - NY Daily News). This had not been the first time Paul was severely drunk, his doctor testified and said he “had depressive episodes about the break-up of a long term relationship and had sometimes taken to drinking at home outside a social context” (Stinson). He also suggested Paul “was an alcoholic or suffering from depression” (Stinson). Ultimately, it was wrong for him to be driving her in the first place,

In some way, all of these theories are linked. The government may have wanted an intoxicated unstable man to drive and kill Princess Diana the night of August 31st. They may have also wanted paparazzi to follow her until her last minutes as they were always a part of her life. In a recent poll, 54 people were survey over the three theories. 15% of people believed paparazzi was the cause, 57% believed it was a government plan, and 28% believed that her driver Henri Paul was drunk and took her life. So that leaves us with the ultimate question, do you think these theories are true, or will her death remain a mystery?

Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris the night of August 31, 1997. This accident resulted in many theories such as:

1.  Was paparazzi the cause of the accident?

2.  Was this a plan set up by the government?

3.  Was her driver drunk?

In 2018, it has been over 21 years since Diana was killed. After looking into each of these theories, there is still not a clear answer as to what was the cause of Princess Diana's death.

Works Cited

Griffin @_andrew_griffin, Andrew. “People Still Don't Believe Diana Died in an Accidental Car Crash. Here's Why.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 19 May 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/princess-diana-death-conspiracy-theories-paris-tunnel-car-crash-reasons-why-not-clear-planned-murder-a7918766.html.

Holloway, Henry. “Princess Diana Death: Photographer Lifts Lid on THOSE Sick Photos of Royal Dying.” Dailystar.co.uk, Daily Star, 31 Aug. 2018, www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/633231/Diana-Crash-Death-Princess-Paris-Documentary-Paparazzi-Charles-Dodi-William-Harry-Ritz.

Jones, Toby. “Prince Harry: Paparazzi Took Photos of Diana 'Dying in Back Seat' Instead of Helping Her.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 23 Aug. 2017, www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-harry-diana-death-paparazzi-paris-tunnel-car-crash-dying-back-seat-photos-mother-royal-family-a7907711.html.

New York Daily News. “Princess Diana's Driver Was Drunk When She Died in 1997 - NY Daily News.” Nydailynews.com, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2018, www.nydailynews.com/news/world/diana-driver-racing-drunk-alcohol-speed-amp-taunts-cit-article-1.773531.

Pettinger, Tejvan. “Princess Diana Biography |  .” Biography Online, 6 Jan. 2006, www.biographyonline.net/people/biography_princess_diana.html.

“Princess Diana.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 18 May 2018, www.biography.com/people/princess-diana-9273782.

“Princess Diana: The Early Years.” Princess Diana Biography - Early Years, www.britishroyals.info/diana/biography.html.

Puente, Maria. “Diana's Death: Did Tragedy Change Paparazzi Tactics?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 30 Aug. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/life/2017/08/30/dianas-death-did-tragedy-change-paparazzi-tactics/533837001/.

Samuelson, Kate. “How Princess Diana's Death Changed the British Media.” Time, Time, 27 Aug. 2017, time.com/4914324/princess-diana-anniversary-paparazzi-tabloid-media/.

Stinson, Nicole. “Diana's Driver Could Not Have Been Drunk, Ex-Butler Paul Burrell Says at Fatal Crash Site.”Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 30 Aug. 2017, www.express.co.uk/news/royal/847487/princess-diana-death-anniversary-driver-drunk-paul-burrell-crash-site-paris.

Velasquez, Miriam. “Photos: Remembering Princess Diana on 20th Anniversary of Her Death.” East Bay Times, East Bay Times, 30 Aug. 2017, www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/08/30/photos-remembering-princess-diana-on-20th-anniversary-of-her-death/.

Zambelli, Anna. “17 Things You Didn't Know About Princess Diana.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 21 Mar. 2018, www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g2812/princess-diana-facts/?slide=2.