I always made sure I never said anything in all the cases of public interest I was involved with that hadn't already appeared in the press. During surgery, medical staff identified the problem - a tear to a vital vein. "Investigate the circumstances of the deaths of all persons whose bodies are lying within his jurisdiction where he has reason to believe that the death was violent, unnatural or of unknown cause," says the Home Office. As Surrey coroner since 1986, Mr Burgess will also preside over the inquest into the death of Dodi Fayed, who is buried in the county. Doggy day-care! The samples were switched to make a case that the driver was drunk, they say. Harry talked about the moment in a 2017 interview with Newsweek. Her friend Rosa Monckton was with Diana 10 days before the crash and says it would have been "biologically impossible" for her to have been pregnant when she died. Had she been strapped in she would have walked away with a black eye or maybe a broken arm, but nothing more. To this day, conspiracy theories about the crash abound. The findings of Operation Paget, as the investigation was called, were released in 2006. Before Christmas The Independent on Sunday reported that there had been a cover-up of sorts in the days after Diana's death. The investigation file contains the medical records from the efforts of doctors in the emergency operating room to keep her alive. This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous. Upon leaving the Ritz Paris, Henri Paul, the person behind the wheel, drove through the city with paparazzi in . Almost the instant the second group of officers reached the car, it was clear that the chauffeur and Al Fayed, both sitting on the vehicles left side, were beyond help. Although she was said to have been alert following the accident, she went into cardiac arrest a short while . The investigation found that he was solely responsible for the accident. More than ten years after her death in a high speed crash in Paris they bring back with startling clarity the fantastic efforts to keep Diana alive. The owner of Harrods and father of Dodi is chief among the conspiracy theorists, believing the couple's death in a Parisian underpass was caused by secret agents working for the British establishment. The body had been flown back to London from Paris that afternoon, via RAF Northolt. "She was much lighter than Dodi and Rees-Jones's belt would have absorbed some of the extra force. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. In a new bookUnnatural CausesShepherd details the crash that ultimately claimed Diana's life - revealing an extremely rare and small injury is what eventually killed the former Princess of Wales. The news broke late on a Saturday night. In the days following the crash, the foreign press caused outrage by publishing shocking final images . Back then, obviously, there were no smartphones or anything like that, so you couldn't get your news, and thankfully at the time, to be honest, we had the privacy to mourn and collect our thoughts and to have that space away from everybody, William said in a 2017 BBC documentary. Like almost all the legal actions that delayed the inquests, it was started by Mr Fayed. In the car was driver Henri Paul, with Diana and partner Dodi Fayed in the back seats of the Mercedes, and Fayed's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, sitting on the right of the driver, in front of Diana. LONDON (Reuters) - French medics had to restrain and sedate Princess Diana, who became so agitated after her Paris car crash that she tore out a drip, the inquest into her death was . One of these sets of test results - but only one - also includes the mysterious finding that the chauffeur's blood contained abnormally and dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide. This threatened confusion, at the very least, when blood samples were taken from Diana in London. The law states that an inquiry must take place into the death of anyone who dies an apparently unnatural death abroad. During the funeral, people reflected on the attention that defined Diana's life and death. What is a coroner? Early reports said Diana was suffering from a concussion, broken arm, and cut thigh. The passersby in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997 precisely 20 years ago this Thursday knew right away that they had heard the sound of something terrible happening. All The Tragic Death Details, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Diana, Princess Of Wales, Sitting On The Steps Outside Her Country Home, Highgrove. Dianas bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived the crash with serious injuries. Princess Diana was conscious after the fatal crash in Paris last August and aware that Dodi Al Fayed was lying dead beside her in the car. The biography, which has been described as the closest we will ever come to a Princess Diana autobiography, was republished with new material in 2017 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Peoples Princess death. And if she had been wearing a seatbelt Diana may have survived the crash with just a black eye, rib injuries and maybe a broken arm. (The French investigation took this view, which is why the question of Diana's pregnancy was not addressed in the official report of September 1999.). In one picture Dr Frederic Maillez, the first doctor on the scene, can be clearly seen inside the back of the smashed Mercedes tending to the critically ill princess. Questions must be sensible and relevant. She also had a . This may indicate how seriously Diana took her own premonition - touted recently by her former butler Paul Burrell - that she would be killed in a faked road accident.) He can, nevertheless, perform a valuable service to common sense: he should allow a great deal of the detailed evidence from the French investigation to be made public to help to place the wilder theories in context. Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris, France, on August 31, 1997. He has never given an interview or a press conference to explain his findings. In Tina Browns book, The Diana Chronicles Harry stepped back from his duties as a royal in 2020. "But I entirely concurred with the findings of the inquiry. "Henri Paul effectively acted as Dodi's airbag and he died instantly. M. Paul's family insist that the carbon-monoxide finding shows that the blood in the sample did not come from him. A private man who has investigated deaths from Deepcut to Milly Dowler. The paparazzi were blamed for the accident at first, but in 1999, a French judge said the fault lay with Paul due to his elevated blood alcohol level and the prescription drugs in his system, per Britannica. Sergeant Xavier Gourmelon, who led the response team in Paris, told The Independent Dianas last words were, My God, whats happened? Brown narrates what may have happened next: She turned her head and saw the lifeless Dodi just in front of her, then turned her head again toward the front where the bodyguard was writhing and where Henri Paul lay dead. Medics rushed her to the nearby Piti-Salptrire Hospital. 'He's been dead for 130 years and can still satisfy the ladies': Social media goes wild over mystery woman Cancelled? As the writer Martin Amis put it in a commemorative issue the following week, her . Back in the tunnel, the scene was a grim one. After a two-hour operation to save her, the doctors failed to get Dianas heart to beat properly and she never regained consciousness. Princess Diana's cause of death. After the accident, Queen Elizabeth chose to stay with Harry and William in Balmoral, Scotland, and was planning to return just before the funeral. "Diana was slightly more fortunate because their bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was sitting in front of her and he was strapped in.". Then Mr Burgess will travel to Reigate in Surrey, where he is the county coroner. He first helped Diana, who was "sitting on the floor in the back" of the Mercedes. While different, the theories share the same thesis: This was no accident. The 1997 version of Candle in the Wind remains the best-selling chart single of all time. A quarter-century ago Princess Diana's shocking death provoked outrage at the royal family. Thanks to her new 16m Harry Potter TV deal, it's JK Rowling who's having the last laugh over Scientists discover what happens seconds before you die - activity in the brain and heart RAMPS UP, Trendy hard floors could be to blame for your foot pain (and there is a simple way to stop it). In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I wish she could have met Meghan, I wish she was around for Archie, Harry said in The Me You Can't See. So we gave her CPR, and after 20 seconds she regained consciousness and we transferred her to the ambulance.". So why has it taken so long? A witness told the Princess Diana inquest that he arrived at the crash scene to find the broken bodies of Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. The film, "Unlawful Killing," will . I dont think it would happen today., In the 2017 documentary, Diana, 7 Days, William called his mothers funeral one of the hardest things he had ever done. Princess Diana (1961-1997)Britain's beloved "People's Princess"devoted herself to charitable causes and became a global icon before dying in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Conspiracy theories have grown up around the dead Princess like the thorns around Sleeping Beauty's castle, and it remains to be seen whether the memory of what he saw late on 31 August 1997 will inspire Mr Burgess to hack through them. "Her specific injury is so rare that in my entire career I don't believe I've seen another. Only then will he decide how to proceed - and which witnesses to call, if any. Princess Diana died in Paris, according to CNN. Armchair medics in the United States have suggested so; but the French authorities say everything possible was done to keep her alive. Some 2,000 people attended her funeral, per Reader's Digest . Diana was just 36 when she died. Six years later, Mr Burgess is the coroner poised to open inquests into the deaths of Diana and her companion, Dodi Fayed. In Spare, Harry slammed the paparazzi for taking photos of his dead mother. Close-ups show the blonde-haired Princess in the back seat of the crashed Merc after the roof had been removed. I don't think it would happen today.. A French firefighter who was one of the first at the scene of Princess Diana 's fatal car crash in Paris is finally speaking out about what he witnessed that day 20 years ago in his first . Start your Independent Premium subscription today. But, sadly, by then it was too late. Diana died on August 31, 1997, after sufferingfatal injuries in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. Magazines, Digital HBOs new documentary The Princess explores Dianas life and legacy using archival footage. The queen came under close scrutiny after Dianas deatha plot point that will surely be explored in future seasons of The Crown. She's got a right Lotte cheek with tantrums, feisty remarks and bossing her brothers about. It was a bad accident. Shepherd says if Diana had worn a seatbelt she may probably would have survived and appeared in public two days later with a black eye, fractured ribs and maybe a broken arm. The cause of Princess Diana's death were fatal injuries from the car crash. wildzuk. More than 2.5 billion people watched the procession as it aired on TV. The police found nothing to substantiate Mohammed Al Fayeds claims of conspiracyand neither did anyone else. Charlotte is daddy's double! However, three photographers were found guilty of invasion of privacy and were fined a symbolic 1 euro. You will always remember, he wrote, where you were and who you were with when you heard this news.. Pathologist reveals 'tiny, rare' injury killed Princess Diana. A senior police source in France told us that the Princess - contrary to the official version and the statements of her friends - was pregnant when she died. Her rumored boyfriend, Egyptian businessman Emad Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene. In the days, weeks, years and now decades that followed, those who knew her and those who only knew her work would mourn the potential that had been so suddenly cut off. Had she been restrained, she would probably have appeared in public two days later with a black eye, perhaps a bit breathless from the fractured ribs and with a broken arm in a sling,. But his hand did fall once more on my knee and he said: Its going to be OK. That was quite a lot for him. It is okay to suffer, but as long as you talk about it. The basic facts of the case - the implausibility of a professional assassination being organised in that place at that time in that way, on a day when Diana and Dodi changed their plans hourly - are rarely recalled. Is there a jury? Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, 'We're not your enemies!' Mike's Minute: Why aren't people flocking to New Zealand? Diana's brother, Lord Spencer, blamed the media for the crash and called his sister the most hunted person of the modern age. Elton John performed a rendition of his famous 1973 song Candle in the Wind, with the lyrics reworked to be about Diana instead of Marilyn Monroe (who also experienced vast media intrusions). Pa didnt hug me. DrRichard Shepherd said he was inundated with questions about Princess Di's autopsy but has long refused to reveal intimate details. A new HBO documentary titled The Princess, which premieres on August 13, is exploring her life, death, and legacy once again, this time using archival and video footage. Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry and the ex-wife of Prince Charles, died on August 31, 1997. I wish I could say she would have died whatever happened, but the fact is, if she had worn her seatbelt she would have been here for Prince William and Harry's weddings, he told the Daily Mail. When she was 20, Diana Spencer became Princess of Wales in a lavish wedding ceremony at St. Paul's Ceremony, televised to a global audience of 750 million. However, there are also the second test results and witness reports, and a bar bill from the Ritz, suggesting he had been drinking heavily. Here is a look at the timeline of events that led to her tragic car crash in Paris. Diana and Fayed, who arrived in Paris after a 10-day getaway on the French Riviera, got into Pauls car a few minutes after midnight on August 31, 1997, before their car crashed. She was brought to the hospital with a concussion, broken arm, a cut on her thigh and chest injuries. Why Trust Us? Since her death, the Princess of Wales has been mourned by millions of people around the world, with many blaming the paparazzi and the British media for their part in how she died. I dont think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I will be eternally grateful to him for denying me the ability to inflict pain on myself by seeing that. Investigations also revealed that Rees-Jones survived because he was wearing a seatbelt, while no one else in the car was wearing one. Instead, they took photos. Diana died at Piti-Salpetrire hospital from heart failure as the result of multiple internal injuries. The hard-core conspiracy theorists will never give up. IAN BIRRELL: Why are we kowtowing to a sinister dictatorship in China that still covers up the origins of Career coach reveals the best way to explain why you left a job after a short period of time - and you only Father 'crushed to death' in indoor cave at tourist attraction 'was read poem by his daughter' while he lay Can the Keto diet help treat mental illness? They denied official claims that the picture had been taken seconds after the princess and her lover had left the Ritz Hotel and insisted it was snapped well into their journey. Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com. The evidence is overwhelming that this was a traffic accidentperiod, Brown writes in The Diana Chronicles. The formaldehyde used in embalming could have tainted the samples - it is known, for example, to produce false evidence of pregnancy, which may have caused lab scientists to dismiss any genuine sign of pregnancy. He was in the air-conditioned autopsy room as a pathologist examined Diana's corpse, hours after the car crash that had killed her. Biden FINALLY announces COVID vaccine requirement for travelers to US will be Have scientists finally created a jab to keep ALL flu strains at bay? Im living the life that she wanted to live for herself, living the life that she wanted us to be able to live. Writer and researcher Traci Vogel had the uncanny experience of disembarking from a red-eye flight into a changed world. According to The New York Times, charges of manslaughter were brought against nine photographers who followed the Mercedes and took photos after the crash, but they were not found guilty. According to Frederic Mailliez, an EMT who happened to be driving through the tunnel at the same time of the collision, Diana woke up in pain from internal injuries. DAVE GAYWOOD/AFP via Getty Images. THE pathologist who examined Princess Diana's body has revealed some of the burning questions he is often asked about her death. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Read TIME's Original 1997 Special Report on Princess Diana's Death. An astonishing sequence of pictures of the final minutes of Princess Diana's life have emerged as the long-awaited inquest into her death finally opened today. (At the very least, documents in the case have to be made available to lawyers representing all interested parties.) The paparazzo who owns the photo denies selling it. Richard Shepherd is a top UK pathologist asked to review Diana's autopsy. The qualified solicitor has more than 20 years' experience as a coroner, and has been Coroner of the Queen's Household since 2002. According to our source, the evidence that Diana was pregnant is somewhere in the medical papers now with Mr Burgess. Diana was also one of the first royals to speak candidly about her own mental health struggles and eating disorder on an international stage, and quickly became known as the "People's Princess." Operating for two hours, doctors tried, and failed, to get Dianas heart beating properly again. 2023 SheMedia, LLC. The Royal Coroner will make a brief statement about the scope of his inquiry and adjourn the inquest. In 1995, he recorded a verdict of unlawful killing at the inquest into the death of Karen Reed. The car was crushed and tilted up against the wall. The taxi driver thought he saw a blond-haired woman sitting in the backseat of the car, gasping, crying. I am doing a lot of things that she would probably do.. To her side Dodi Fayed is hunched forward in his seat. Season 5, which just dropped on Netflix, ends just weeks before her death in 1997. iHeartRadio is easy to use and all FREE, Simon Barnett and James Daniels Afternoons, Simon Barnett & James Daniels Afternoons Podcast, Sportstalk with D'Arcy Waldegrave Podcast, The Resident Builder Podcast with Peter Wolfkamp, Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills Podcast, Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald Podcast, Humans are herd animals: The importance of community, 'It was The Muppet Show': Farmer livid dog owners not prosecuted, 'Everybody's dead': Seven bodies found at rural US property during search for teens, Russia missile attack on Ukraine injures 34, damages homes, Mike's Minute: Flawed ideology leaves us poorer. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. After she married Prince Charles, the eldest of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philips four children, in July 1981, Diana Spencers entire life became tabloid fodder, from marital intrigue to their divorce and its aftermath. Anatomically, it's hidden away, deep in the centre of the chest. EXCLUSIVE Boss of Lib-Dem run South Cambridgeshire council which was first to introduce a four-day week is From being born a man to Queen of the Mountains: Trans cyclist romps to victory in elite women's race - Traumatised mother, 27, was 'treated like a criminal' after being investigated for child abuse over tiny Pictured: British grandfather and 'friend to everybody' who died while snorkelling during dream cruise or debate this issue live on our message boards. Al Fayed, who has refused numerous requests to talk to . Who can ask the witnesses questions? Her blood pressure barely registered on the rescue teams instruments. Now, at the age of 37a year older than Diana was when she diedHarry believes hes continuing on in her legacy. She died the next morning at the hospital. As the writer Martin Amis put it in a commemorative issue the following week, her death was a fixing moment in the lives of many. Dr Richard Shepherd said he was inundated with questions about Princess Di's autopsy but has long refused to reveal intimate details. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Not one tear. And so very untrue., Years after Dianas death, Harry revealed that he asked to see the secret police files related to the crash. As the onlookers watched, the rescue team cut through the buckled roof and doors of the Mercedes, removed the two survivors and rushed them by ambulance to a public hospital, the Pitie-Salpetriere, one of the best in the city. in one app. According to Lost in the Pond, though, it's highly unlikely Princess Diana would have ever had an open casket funeral because open casket funerals just aren't that common in England. According to a statement from French authorities given the Monday after the crash, Pauls blood exceeded the legal blood-alcohol limit. Its believed that Diana and Fayed planned to travel to Fayeds private estate in Paris. The car crash also . The pictures showed the reflection of a group of photographers taking photographs through the window and the reflection on the window was them., During the interview, Harry also thanked his private secretary and advisor at the time for not allowing him to see more gruesome images of his mother dead. The crash that killed Princess Diana. This is one aspect of the circumstances surrounding Diana's death that could be elucidated by the British hearings - but may not be if Mr Burgess decides it is irrelevant to the inquest. Since he died instantly, how could this have been absorbed from the air-bags in the Mercedes, as French experts claim? He also carried out the post-mortems on young mother Rachel Nickell, murdered on Wimbledon Common in 1992, and Stephen Lawrence, the black teenager stabbed to death in a racial attack a year later. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . .css-26w0xw{display:block;font-family:NationalBold,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-26w0xw:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-26w0xw{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.575rem;line-height:1.1;margin-bottom:-0.5rem;}}How To Avoid Unexpected Health Bills, People Can't Stop Raving About These Cotton Sheets, The Tricky 819-Day Mayan Calendar Explained, A Japanese Company May Have Lost Its Lunar Lander, These Pregnant Celebrities Have Due Dates In 2023, Sydney Leroux: 'I Pushed My Body To Its Limits', Kelly Clarkson Sings A Duet With Carol Burnett, This Couple Staged A 'Blow Job' Engagement Photo. Diana passed away from internal bleeding at 4:53 on the morning of August 31, 1997. What Happened to Jamie Foxx? Queen Elizabeth's passing, in contrast, has been draped in civility and respect. As the first wife of Prince Charles and .css-7qz8rz{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#f7623b;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #feebe7 50%, #feebe7);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-7qz8rz:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}mother to William and Harry, she captured everyone's hearts and minds with her charming persona and keen fashion sense.