The People’s Princess: Conspiracy Theories
August 31, 2017, marks the 22nd year anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. Several investigations concluded her death was due to her chauffeur’s reckless driving. Two decades later many still question the story behind her death and claim foul play. There are several conspiracy theories about her death:
- Driver Henri Paul intentionally caused the crash (Griffin1).
- Diana believed she was going to be killed by the establishment (1).
- The paparazzi made the vehicle crash (1).
Is there more to the murder than the news is letting on?
Princess Diana was known for her impeccable sense of style that influenced a generation of women in the 80’s and early 90’s. Eleri Lynn, curator of “Diana: Her Fashion Story,” said “she is stepping into that same sort of space as an Audrey Hepburn or Jackie Kennedy, a fashion icon whose style is so emulated and so loved” (Tashjian 1). Diana used her style to make statements, break barriers, and ultimately carve out the path for herself that was unlike any other royal family member (Quinn 1). She always stayed true to her style with bold looks in bright colors, fun prints, and interesting textures. Her most iconic outfit was her wedding dress, which she wore on July 29, 1981. It made a huge impact in the fashion industry and had brides going to wedding designers to mimic Princess Diana’s extravagant dress. Another iconic outfit was her “Revenge Dress”, which she wore the day Prince Charles confessed his affair with Camilla Bowles (Harding 1). The dress made headlines for all the right reasons; it sent a deliberate message that Diana was not going to be oppressed or forgotten. It was considered an intentional use of clothes to empower women (1). Princess Diana set the bar and broke the rules in fashion, and as a result she became one of the most influential fashion icons of her lifetime.
Princess Diana was more than a style icon, she was “The People’s Princess” (Frost 1). Prime Minister Tony Blair referred to Diana as “The People’s Princess”, and even after her death, he often spoke of what she was to so many (Moody 1). She was a devoted humanitarian and philanthropist, who used her fame to raise awareness of important humanitarian issues. Princess Diana “changed the world’s perception of HIV and AIDS” (Frost 1). She was one the first famous public figures to be photographed shaking hands with an HIV carrier, without wearing gloves (1). Using her platform to challenge the irrational fear felt throughout the world, she helped educate the population on HIV and AIDS. Her humanitarian work did not end with that handshake (1).
In an article, it states, “She also traveled to countries with high leprosy rates. Diana said, “It’s always been my concern to touch people with leprosy, trying to show, in a simple action that they are not reviled, nor are we repulsed” (1). Diana made huge strides in tackling the stigma surrounding leprosy by touching those affected by the disease (1). She brought the unfortunate circumstances of people affected by leprosy to the world’s attention and helped banish a few myths surrounding it. She would visit hospitals and touch patients with the disease to show that leprosy could not be passed on by contact (1). Also, after visiting Angola in 1997, she became anti-landmine' activists’ most prominent advocate (1). In the article, “she was photographed, putting her own safety at risk, as she walked through a recently cleared minefield” (1). Diana’s commitment to mine clearance work captured the public’s attention. Although, she found the media’s intrusion into her life intolerable, she also found a way to use it by bringing awareness to the people and causes that needed it the most (1).
Princess Diana was devoted to her many humanitarian efforts; however, none outweighed her devotion to her children. She was a loving and affectionate mother. She once said “Hugging has no harmful side effects. If we all play our part in making our children feel valued, the result will be tremendous. There are potential huggers in every household” (McGuire 1). Like every mother, Diana knew her children’s best qualities as well as their faults. She would tell friends, “William is, deep, like his dad, and stubborn, and Harry is a hothead like me. He does the first thing that comes into his head” (Bolluyt 1). Princess Diana would often travel with her sons or reschedule her duties to extend the amount of time she had with her sons. Diana exemplified the meaning of love through her famously close relationship with her children. While Princess Diana is no longer with us, her iconic legacy of fashion, her humanitarian advocacy, and her love for people and her children, will forever be ingrained in our history.
In 1997, approximately around the time of the incident, it was speculated that there was an orchestrated criminal conspiracy circling the death of Princess Diana. One of the theories suggests that the paparazzi intentionally made the vehicle crash. However, the other two conspiracies involve the establishment and the chauffeur.
The first conspiracy theory is that Henri Paul, the driver, intentionally caused the crash. Conspiracy theorists' top suspect involved the couple's driver, Henri Paul. Paul was head of the security at the Ritz Hotel, which is owned by Fayed, and had been in the family's employ for a decade. As the theory goes, Paul was paid by MI6 to assassinate Diana and Fayed (“The Royal Bloodlines and the Secret Societies” 1). Former MI6 officer Richard Tomlinson famously attested that he had seen Paul's file and could confirm that he was an informant (1). “Henri Paul, who was the driver of the car, was also the security manager at the Ritz Hotel and he was a MI6 informant. ... I saw his file,” Tomlinson told reporters at the time, “It’s been well-established that he went missing for two or three hours the night of his death (1). "Even though Paul made just $35,000 a year, he had nearly $250,000 in his bank account at the time of his death (Griffin 1). In addition, a significant amount of cash was on him when he died, prompting further speculation that MI6 paid him off (“The Royal Bloodlines and the Secret Societies” 1). "I am certain that this money originated from MI6," Tomlinson told a French judge in 1998, "This is speculation on my part, but if he was an MI6 informant, it would be quite normal for him to receive money" (1). After the thorough investigation by the officials, there is evidence to suggest that Tomlinson lied about Paul’s role in the conspiracy (1).
The second conspiracy is Princess Diana was killed by the establishment. Conspiracy theorists were not convinced with the official version of events, however. Once Princess Diana’s death was announced, rumors of a plot to assassinate Princess Diana had begun to surge. The main culprits, the royal family, assisted by the British intelligence service (Emery 1). Why would the royal family want Princess Diana dead? As the whisper campaign went, she was poised to embarrass the crown by marrying Dodi Al Fayed, a Muslim, who would become stepfather to Princes William and Harry, the heirs to the British throne (1). In the article, Emery states, “It was even speculated that Diana was pregnant with Al Fayed's child” (1). These paranoid accusations gained more traction than they deserved thanks to their tabloid appeal, not to mention the tireless championing of Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi's father, who denies to this day to believe the fatal car crash was a mere accident (1).
It was suggested that an agent of MI6, the British intelligence service, was already at the scene pretending to be a member of the press (Emery 1). It was also suggested that a mysterious vehicle, a white Fiat Uno, was utilized by the conspirators to block the limousine's pathway, forcing it to collide with the pillar. Finally, it was suggested that recordings from closed-circuit cameras in the Alma Tunnel which should have documented the specific sequence of events were either tampered with or immediately disposed of (1). Emery concludes, “None of these assertions have held up under scrutiny” (1).
Diana was not, in fact, pregnant, according to analyses run on samples of her blood gathered at the scene. Nor were Diana and Dodi planning to get married, according to sources close to them (Emery 1). There were no unaccounted-for vehicles, least of all a phantom Fiat, involved in the crash (1). Emery claims, "Of the ten traffic cameras located in and around the tunnel, none were properly placed to record the accident itself” (1). And, no credible evidence of government involvement has ever been found (1). Although there is evidence to suggest there was no plot by the establishment, it is possible Charles’s family who played a role in the conspiracy.
The third conspiracy theory is that the paparazzi made the vehicle crash. The first details to surface about the accident that killed Princess Diana was the fact that the chauffeur of the vehicle had been speeding to dodge paparazzi (Emery 1). With no surprise, the blame was instantly laid on the paparazzi (1). Griffin stated, “The story caught on in part because it showed a concern that had lingered Diana throughout her life, that the regularly prurient interest in her was causing her infliction” (Griffin 1). This conspiracy theory has three forms (1). The first claims that the group of paparazzi pursued and rammed Diana’s Mercedes so that it could make the collision transpire (1). The second claims that members of the paparazzi encouraged an environment where a collision could occur (1). The third implies that the paparazzi inadvertently created a situation that the conspirators utilized to kill the people in the car (1). The official investigation pointed out that the paparazzi aren’t really a meaningful group, though they do the same job, they generally compete with each other for the best photo. Many of them work for different companies and do entirely different jobs, with some working as professional photojournalists. The investigations had found that the vehicle that Diana was in did seem to have driven quickly in part to escape the paparazzi. There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the paparazzi created a dangerous situation, but no one from the press has been charged for the accident that killed Princess Diana. Through a survey taken at COM, fourteen out of twenty surveyors agree with this conspiracy, which best solves the Princess Diana plot.
Princess Diana was proclaimed as “The People’s Princess”, she was known for her sense of style, humanitarian work, and the love she had towards her two sons. Her brother, Charles Spencer once stated, "Diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty. All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity" (Puente 1). On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana's life was tragically cut short, she died following a horrific car crash in Paris ("Princess Diana" 1). The news of Princess Diana’s death quickly led to several conspiracy theories:
- Driver Henri Paul intentionally caused the crash (Griffin1).
- Diana believed she was going to be killed by the establishment (1).
- The paparazzi made the vehicle crash (1).
After examining each of these conspiracy theories, evidence points to the paparazzi having a part in the accident that caused Princess Diana’s death.
Works Cited
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McGuire, J. (2019, April 20). Princess Diana's Quotes About Motherhood Prove She Was Devoted To Her Sons. Retrieved from https://www.romper.com/p/princess-dianas-quotes-about-motherhood-prove-she-was-devoted-to-her-sons-17131913
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“The Royal Bloodlines and the Secret Societies.” The founders of the human "gods" - (n.d.). Retrieved from http://apocryphal-academy.com/index.php?amp;topic=342.0;prev_next=next
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