Princess Diana died in a Paris tunnel crash on August 31, 1997. Officially ruled a drunk-driving accident, persistent theories allege assassination by the British Royal Family or MI6.
August 31, 1997. 12:23 AM. The Pont de l'Alma tunnel along the Seine in Paris. A black Mercedes-Benz S280 slammed into the thirteenth pillar.
In the back seat: Diana, Princess of Wales, and her companion Dodi Fayed. At the wheel: Henri Paul, deputy head of security at the Ritz Hotel. Estimated speed: 105 kilometers per hour. More than twice the legal limit.
Dodi and Henri Paul were killed instantly. Diana was rushed to a hospital but pronounced dead at 4:00 AM. She was 36 years old. The world wept.
The French investigation and the three-year British inquiry led by Lord Stevens reached the same conclusion. The crash was caused by Henri Paul's intoxication (his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit), excessive speed, and the attempt to evade pursuing paparazzi.
None of the rear-seat passengers were wearing seatbelts. The sole survivor, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only person in the car who had buckled up.
Dodi's father, Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, refused to accept the accident verdict. He publicly accused the British Royal Family and MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, of assassinating his son and Diana.
Al-Fayed claimed the motive was the Royal Family's refusal to accept Diana bearing a child with a Muslim man. He further alleged that Diana was pregnant at the time of the crash and on the verge of engagement to Dodi.
Post-mortem examination, however, found no evidence that Diana was pregnant.
Note: The following conspiracy theories were investigated and dismissed by official inquiries. They are presented as cultural phenomena.
A white Fiat Uno spotted in the tunnel drew intense scrutiny from conspiracy theorists. White paint traces found on the Mercedes suggested contact with such a vehicle. The driver of the white Fiat was eventually identified but denied involvement, and police cleared him of suspicion.
Other suspicious details fueled the theories: CCTV cameras in the tunnel were reportedly malfunctioning at the time of the crash. The ambulance transported Diana to a hospital farther away rather than the nearest one.
A formal inquest held between 2007 and 2008 returned a verdict of "unlawful killing" caused by the gross negligence of Henri Paul and the pursuing paparazzi vehicles. The jury stopped short of calling it assassination, but notably did not call it a simple accident either.
More than a quarter century after Diana's death, the conspiracy theories endure. A 2013 poll found that roughly 38 percent of Britons believed some form of conspiracy was involved.
The sudden death of the People's Princess was too abrupt, too senseless. Humans seek meaning in the loss of those they love. Diana was too large a presence to have been taken by a mere drunk-driving accident. For many, conspiracy theories offer a narrative that gives her death the significance her life deserved.
