‘People’s Princess’ Diana died in a car crash on this day in 1997; Read more

Princess Diana, affectionately also known as ‘the People’s Princess’, died in a car crash in Paris on this day, i.e. August 31, in 1997. The death of the Princess of Wales was a full-blown media sensation and the subject of many conspiracy theories. At first, the paparazzi hounding the car of Princess Diana were blamed for the crash, but later it was also revealed that the driver was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. 

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It started off as an ordinary day for Princess Diana. She was in Paris vacationing in the French Riviera with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who also died in the crash along with the car driver, Henri Paul. The couple arrived in Paris earlier the previous day and they left the Ritz Hotel just after midnight intending to go to Dodi’s apartment in the Rue Arsène Houssaye. With a swarm of paparazzi everywhere, it was just three minutes later that the driver lost control and crashed into a pillar at the entrance of the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. 

According to reports, Dodi, who was an Egyptian-born socialite, and the car driver were pronounced dead at the scene. On the other hand, Princess Diana was taken to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital and declared dead at 6:00am. Diana’s bodyguard and fourth passenger, Trevor Rees-Jones, was seriously injured and the only one who survived the horrifying accident. 

(Image: @Bri_die_/Twitter) 

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‘Shocked and distressed’ 

Following her death, Diana’s former husband, Prince Charles, along with other members of the Royal Family, arrived in Paris that morning. Her body was then taken back to London the same day. Back then, in a statement, the Buckingham Palace said that Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales were ‘deeply shocked and distressed’. As per reports, Prince Charles broke the news of their mother’s demise to Prince William and Prince Harry at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the family had been spending the summer. 

(Image: @racheljanewood/Twitter) 

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While the formal investigation revealed that the driver was well over the level of alcohol in his blood, it was also believed that the aggressive actions of the paparazzi contributed to the cause of the collision. Princess Diana was one of the most popular figures in the world. Her death was met with a massive outpouring of grief and mourners even left bouquets at Kensington Palace. Reports suggest that the piles of flowers reached some 30 feet from the palace’s gate. Princess Diana’s funeral in London, on September 6, was reportedly watched over two billion people. 

(Image: @Nico_Bloom/Twitter) 

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