25 years ago Lady Diana died: myths and conspiracies about her death

In a few days, Diana’s death will be 25 years old. Since then, conspiracy theories have been circulating about a murder plot, although all of them official investigations concluded that the Princess of Wales had died in an accident.

A flashback: It is August 31, 1997. Diana Spencer is 36 years old, mother of William (15) and Harry (12). She has been legally divorced from her sons’ father, Prince Charles, for a year. It’s been almost five years since the royal couple announced their separation. paparazzi follow the former “Royal Highness” at every turn. Her love life fills the tabloids. Her love affair with billionaire son Dodi Fayed has been public for a few weeks. The couple dines that evening at the Ritz luxury hotel in Paris and is then chauffeured to Fayed’s father Mohamed’s villa.

Who’s to blame?

Sensational photographers chase the Mercedes on seven motorcycles. The tragic accident happened shortly before midnight in a tunnel along the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. The car in which Diana and her boyfriend are sitting crashes into the tunnel wall at 160 kilometers per hour. Only one bodyguard survives, the princess is dead. Despite an immediate operation and a two-hour cardiac massage, she dies in the hospital four hours later.

That night, Great Britain is invaded by the terrible news. The whole world is shocked. Added to this is anger at the sensationalist photographers who would have driven Diana and Dodi to their deaths. According to the investigation, the driver of the limousine is primarily to blame. Henri Paul, who also died, was driving too fast and drunk, police said. In addition, Diana and all other occupants were not buckled. That would only come to light later.

Speculations about pregnancy and murder

After Diana’s death, voices are raised that doubt an accident. Some of the speculation hasn’t died down to this day. An excerpt:

• The father of the late Dodi – it is about the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed – is convinced from the start: his son Dodi and the ex-wife of the British heir to the throne Charles are murdered been.
• Another myth says that Diana and Dodi will soon have their engagement wanted to announce. In Fayed’s view, influential opponents such as Diana’s former father-in-law Prince Philip wanted to prevent the princess from marrying a Muslim like Dodi.
• In addition, there were rumors that Diana at the time of the accident pregnant has been. The background was that Lady Di could not be kept in a normal morgue for security reasons. The pregnancy would have brought the royal family an extraordinary scandal. At a autopsy her uterus was opened before witnesses. There was nothing to indicate pregnancy.
• Some theories came from Diana’s former Butler Paul Burrell to the light. In October 2003 he presented a handwritten letter, in which the princess predicted an attempt on her life ten months before the fatal accident. “They want to clear the way for a new marriage for Charles,” Diana wrote in it. It was unclear why the butler only published the explosive letter years later. In any case, after its publication, Burrell presented his book “A Royal Duty”.
• The conspirators found further evidence for the theory that the accident was caused by third parties: they discovered the Mercedes in which Diana had an accident paint marks another car. But the police never found the driver or the car.
• Apparently he should too ambulance took far too long to bring the seriously injured to the clinic. Conspiracy theorists explained the delay as follows: The car drove slowly on the doctor’s instructions so as not to further endanger Lady Di’s health.
• Oh god what happened? That’s what Dianas are supposed to do last words have been. A firefighter reported that she briefly regained consciousness. After that, she is said to have been unresponsive and had to be revived.
• It has long been claimed that flashlight the paparazzi blinded the driver and caused the accident. However, the photo showing the flashing light was demonstrably taken on departure from the Hotel Ritz. The paparazzi following the car arrived later at the scene of the accident.
  

From the Archive: Diana’s Life in Pictures