It's been 23 years since Princess Diana tragically died on August 31, 1997. The car she was riding in was fleeing from paparazzi cameras when it crashed in a Parisian tunnel, fatally injuring the princess. She was only 36 at the time, and starting a new chapter of her life free from the royal family following her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles. The world mourned her death, and the details surrounding Diana's car crash are just as upsetting two decades later.
There are a lot of conspiracy theories surrounding Diana's death, but one thing we do know to be true is that what happened to her that night was terrible. So we honor her on this sad day as we remember what unfolded that fateful night.
The Driver Was Drunk
Henri Paul was driving the car that killed Diana. (He also died in the accident.) According to the BBC, it was found that his blood alcohol level was in the illegal category at the time. The New York Times reported that prescription drugs were also found in his system.
The Car Was Way Over the Speed Limit
The same BBC article reported that Henri was driving up to 121 miles per hour when the car crashed. The speed limit in the Paris tunnel they were driving in was 30 miles per hour. Reportedly, the driver was trying to outrun the paparazzi who were trying to capture photos of Diana … but ultimately, that ended in disaster.
Princess Diana Wasn't Wearing a Seat Belt
There are tons of photos of Princess Diana driving and riding in cars over the years, and she was nearly always pictured wearing her seat belt. But for whatever reason on that fateful night, she wasn't. CBS News reported that campaigns for proper seat belt use increased in Europe following her untimely death.
There Was Only One Crash Survivor
Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the crash's only survivor, although Cheatsheet reported that he suffered severe injuries and remembers little about the crash itself — or the immediate aftermath. He later wrote a book about everything called The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor.
Trevor Was Reportedly Concerned About Diana
He may not have remembered much, but reports indicate that Trevor was aware enough post-crash to voice his No. 1 concern: that Diana, whom he was charged with guarding, was OK. According to Cheatsheet, Trevor reportedly kept asking, "Where is she? Where is she?" about Diana. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to protect her from the crash.
Diana Was Still Alive at the Scene of the Crash
Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and the car's driver were both pronounced dead at the scene of the crash … but Diana was still alive when paramedics came to help. She died hours later at the hospital from internal bleeding, despite every effort being made to save her. Her death is extra sad because it possibly could have been prevented if her bleeding had been able to be stopped in time.
Her Reported Final Words Are Haunting
A doctor who treated Diana on scene claimed that Diana's final words were about the paparazzi crowding the crash site. According to him, she kept saying "Oh my God," and "leave me alone, leave me alone" as the flashes went off. It's haunting to think that even as she was dying, all she wanted was for the photographers to stop.
The Ambulance Ride Was Slow
One of the conspiracy theories about Diana's death is that the ambulance (allegedly) purposely drove slowly so that she would die. The ambulance driver had to answer questions about this during the investigation and explained that he had to drive slowly, because Diana was in such a fragile state. According to the Guardian, the ambulance even had to stop for five minutes while the doctor tried to revive Diana. Ultimately, she made it to the hospital alive but didn't survive surgery to repair her internal bleeding.
Diana Could Have Survived
The French investigation reportedly found that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed would have survived the car crash if they'd have been wearing their seat belts. It's so sad to play that "what if" game, although undoubtedly, people in Diana's life have done so over the years. Tragically, she wasn't wearing her seat belt, but the anniversary of her death serves as a great reminder of how important it is to buckle up.
An Inquest Found the Driver & Paparazzi Responsible
The blame for the accident is shared by two parties, according to a 2008 inquest into her death. According to Time, a jury found that Diana was "unlawfully killed" — in part due to her driver's reckless handling of the car, as well as by the photographers who were in pursuit. It didn't take a full decade for the public to blame the paparazzi, though.
The British Public Was Outraged at the Paparazzi
Because Diana was in Paris at the time of her death, the paparazzi chasing her were mostly French. But the British paparazzi had hounded her for years leading up to her death, and the British public was upset with their role. In the month after she died, a Gallup poll found that a majority of the British public blamed the paparazzi over Diana's driver for the crash. According to Time, her death would go on to change how photographers covered the royal family.
William & Harry Were Grateful for the Inquest
When the 2008 inquest ended up placing blame on the driver and the photographers, Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, released a statement saying they agreed with the verdict. It must have been hard for the princes to have the details of their mother's death picked over again — years after the fact — but, hopefully, the decision brought them some closure.
The Inquest Helped Dodi's Dad, Too
Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, long believed that his son and Diana were murdered as part of a conspiracy. But after the 2008 inquest, he announced that he would accept the jury's verdict that the crash was an accident caused by the driver and the paparazzi. He said he would drop his conspiracy campaign out of respect for Harry and William. "Enough is enough, and for the sake of the two princes … I am leaving the rest for God to get my revenge. But I am not doing anything any more," he said.
The Conspiracy Theories Have Never Really Died Down
Dodi's dad may have dropped his theorizing, but the public never has. Every few years, someone claims to have new evidence that points to some kind of alleged cover-up or conspiracy. In 2013, the British police even reportedly looked into the theory that the crash was caused by a British military member. Ultimately, though, the police declined to formally reopen the investigation, saying that the theory wasn't credible.
There's a Lot We Still Don't Know — & Won't for Years
The French file on Diana's death is a 6,000-page document compiled over the 18-month initial investigation. But we won't know what's in it until 2082, according to the Mirror, thanks to a French law about sealing court documents for 75 years. Ahead of the 2008 inquest, it was even reported that the file had gone missing, so who knows if it's even still around. If it does still exist, we won't know for decades what's really in it. So many questions and theories will remain for years.
