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20 years after Diana's death. The mystery of the death of Princess Diana: Unexpected details two decades later. After the divorce, her title was taken away

Today marks twenty years since the death of Diana Frances Spencer, whom the whole world remembered as Princess Diana or simply “Lady Di.” On August 31, 1997, the car in which the princess was traveling with her lover Dodi al-Fayed was involved in an accident in the Paris Tunnel. The only one who survived that tragedy - Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees Jones - does not remember what happened, as he received severe injuries that forever deprived him of his memory. A drunk driver, British intelligence services or just an accident - the exact causes of the accident are still not known. The site's editors recalled five versions of the car accident that could have taken place.

Photo: John Stillwell/FA Bobo/PIXSELL/PA Images/TASS

Paparazzi

The first version of the death is photojournalists on motorcycles. On that fateful day, Diana's black Mercedes was pursued by paparazzi, and one of them may have interfered with the princess's car. The Mercedes driver, trying to avoid a collision, crashed into a concrete bridge support.

However, as it turned out later, the photographers entered the tunnel a few seconds after Diana’s Mercedes, which means they could not provoke an accident. At the same time, the sons of the deceased princess most of all blame the reporters and photographers for the death, who did not allow their mother to live in peace until the tragedy.

Mysterious Fiat

The second version is a car that could cut off the princess’s car in the tunnel itself. Allegedly, it was a white Fiat Uno, which eyewitnesses saw leaving the tunnel after the tragedy. And near the accident they even found fragments of a white car. But, even having information about the car and a description of the driver’s appearance, it was not possible to find either the car or the driver.

There is a version that this car belonged to a certain French journalist James Andanson. Immediately after the disaster, the journalist disappeared, and he was found only in 2000 in the French Pyrenees, dead in a burnt car. His death was regarded as suicide, but when he was found, they found traces of gunshots..

Drunk driver, excessive speed and seat belt

The Mercedes that Diana and her companion were in that night was replaced shortly before the trip. In this car, according to some reports, the seat belt in the back seat where Diana was seated was faulty, although the princess herself was always sensitive to the issue of safety.

It was also later discovered that the car was in terrible condition and had been hastily repaired after an accident a few months earlier. In addition, after some time, the driver of the car, Henri Paul, was made the main culprit of the disaster. He was the chief of security at the Ritz Hotel and also died in this disaster. Investigators accused him of driving drunk and accelerating the car to 200 kilometers per hour.

Royal revenge

Photo: Chris Jackson/FA Bobo/PIXSELL/PA Images/TASS

There is a theory that the death of Princess Diana was planned by British agents and Queen Elizabeth II herself. For several years, Diana lived with the idea that Prince Charles and the royal family were going to kill her.

Her guesses, voiced in a letter to the butler, are not direct evidence, but still the very fact of such a letter is very remarkable. The letter stated that Prince Charles was planning an accident with Diana's car, brake failure and a serious head injury so that his path to remarriage would be clear.

Egyptian enemies

There is a version that the target of the alleged killers was not the princess at all, but her Egyptian boyfriend, the son of billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, Dodi.

Dodi's father was the owner of the Ritz Hotel in Paris, as well as the London department store Harrod's and the Fullham football club. Therefore, revenge on Al-Fayed could have been a possible cause of the accident, but Mohammed himself believed that his business competitors had nothing to do with it , and British intelligence and the royal family are involved in the tragedy.

Life after death

After Diana's death, mourning was declared in England; a mound of flowers grew near the gates of Kensington Palace, which were brought by many thousands of people in memory of the princess. Diana was buried on September 6, 1997 at the Spencer family estate of Althorp in Northamptonshire, on a secluded island in the middle of a lake.

“Lady Di” did not cease to be popular even after her death - many famous musical performers wrote songs dedicated to the princess. “No-one but you” by Queen, “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John and many other famous hits are dedicated to Diana. To mark the tenth anniversary of Diana's death, the film "Princess Diana. Last Day in Paris" was shot. This year, 20 years after the tragedy, two documentaries were also released: “Diana - Our Mother” and “Diana. Her Story in Her Words.”

Photo: John Stillwell/FA Bobo/PIXSELL/PA Images/TASS

Paparazzi

Mysterious Fiat

Drunk driver, excessive speed and seat belt

Royal revenge

Photo: Chris Jackson/FA Bobo/PIXSELL/PA Images/TASS

Egyptian enemies

There is a version that the target of the alleged killers was not the princess at all, but her Egyptian boyfriend, the son of billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, Dodi.

Life after death

Twenty years ago, Princess Diana died. Today, millions of people remember her as the queen of hearts and a style icon. But talk about the possible causes of Diana’s death does not subside. A few years ago, Scotland Yard published the results of its investigation into the tragedy. The driver of the car in which the princess was traveling was drunk and lost control; the passengers were not wearing seat belts. Many people do not agree with the official version.

A CCTV camera installed in the elevator of the Ritz Hotel captured Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed on the day of the tragedy. This is the last footage of them alive. The paparazzi knew that Lady Di was staying at the Ritz, and were on duty at the hotel doors. They also knew that the couple was planning to go to Dodi al-Fayed's Paris apartment, located near the Arc de Triomphe. And it was at this moment that Diana personally decided to leave the hotel not through the main entrance on Place Vendôme.

From this moment on, a whole round of oddities and inconsistencies begins, which for 20 years have been preventing us from understanding the causes and consequences of that fateful trip. Initially, Ken Wingfield, Dodi al-Fayed’s personal bodyguard, was supposed to drive the car, but for unknown reasons he remains at the Ritz hotel, and the car was driven by Henri Paul, the head of security at the hotel where the lovers spent the last evening of their lives together. In addition to Diana and al-Fayed, Trevor Rees Jones, Diana's personal security guard, was driving the Mercedes.

Across Rue Cambon and Place de la Concorde, the car sped through the streets. Paparazzi circled right, left, behind and in front. At the entrance to the Alma tunnel, Henri Paul, who was driving a car at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, suddenly saw a parked car, made a maneuver, lost control and crashed into the 13th column of the tunnel. Footage of the mangled Mercedes, filmed at the scene of the tragedy, spread all over the world.

The driver Henri Paul, whose blood alcohol level, as it turned out later, exceeded the legal limit by 3 times, and Dodi al-Fayed died on the spot. The princess was taken to a military hospital, where a few hours later she died without regaining consciousness. Security guard Trevor Rees-Jones, who received numerous injuries, survived and underwent several complex operations, but even during interrogation several years later he was unable to give any evidence. He lost his memory.

For 20 years now, the main debate among all interested parties has been: was it really an accident or was the Princess of Wales murdered? All these years, interrogations, investigative experiments, trials were going on, endless testimony was collected, interviews and memoirs were published. For Ken Wharf, one of Diana's bodyguards, what happened in the Alma tunnel was murder.

The driver, Henri Paul, had already been named an MI6 agent and was considered the culprit of the tragedy, until it turned out that the French police simply mixed up the test tubes with blood. Now it is not at all obvious that the Mercedes driver was drunk. How did I find out? NTV columnist Vadim Glusker, a white Fiat Punto, which at the time of the tragedy was in the Alma tunnel and forced Henri Paul to make a fatal maneuver, disappeared after the tragedy. He was never seen or looked for again. Mohamed Al Fayed, the father of the deceased Dodi al Fayed, has been conducting his own investigation all these years and is also convinced that this is a political murder.

Mohammed al-Fayed, father of Dodi al-Fayed: “I believe that justice will prevail. After all, the jurors who will have to reach a verdict in this case are ordinary people. I am sure that Princess Diana and my son were killed. And the royal family is behind it.”

Mohammed al-Fayed calls the royal family's attitude towards his son Dodi racist and bigoted. According to him, they did not even want to imagine that a native of Egypt, and a Muslim, could become a kind of stepfather for the heirs to the throne, not to mention the fact that the princes could have an adopted brother or sister. It is Diana’s possible pregnancy that is called another reason for her death. The Windsors supposedly could not allow this to happen and brought the intelligence services into the case.

But all these conspiracy theories remained theories. As a result, only the paparazzi were brought to trial, who not only did not provide any assistance to Diana, but also took their terrible pictures after the tragedy and later sold them for millions of dollars.

The monument, symbolizing Franco-American friendship, appeared in Paris in 1987. The torch is an exact replica of the one that adorns the Statue of Liberty in New York. He has nothing to do with Diana. Coincidence of circumstances: the monument stood on the Alma Bridge, the disaster happened in the tunnel.

All these 20 years, the authorities of Paris promised to erect a monument to Lady Di or perpetuate her memory in the form of a memorial plaque, then they decided to name one of the squares after her. As a result, the torch remains the only memorial reminiscent of the Princess of Wales in Paris.

Princess Diana was the fourth child in the family. She has two older sisters and a younger brother: Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes, and a younger brother, Charles Spencer. She also had an older brother, John Spencer, who died shortly after birth.

Her parents divorced when Diana was 7 years old.

Diana grew up on the Sandringham estate, which belongs to the royal family.

She became known as Lady Diana after her father was given the title of Earl. The nickname “Lady Di” stuck to her even after her marriage.

Before marrying Prince Charles and becoming a princess, Diana worked as a nanny and kindergarten teacher. Her wage was $5 an hour.

Diana's grandmother Ruth Roche was a lady-in-waiting and close friend of the Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Surprisingly, Diana's older sister Sarah McCorquodale could become a princess. Sarah and Prince Charles had an affair in the late 70s. It was thanks to her that Lady Di met her future husband. “I introduced them. “I guess you can call me Cupid,” Sarah later said.

Before their engagement in 1981, the future spouses saw each other only 12 times. Diana was 19 years old, and Charles was 32. “Charles’ father Philip put pressure on his son and insisted on the wedding so as not to discredit the girl’s name,” said Susan Zirinsky, executive producer of the documentary “Princess Diana: Her Life, Her Death, Her Truth.”

Diana's wedding dress broke all records. The outfit was embroidered with 10,000 pearls, and the length of the train was almost 8 meters. Designed by married couple David and Elizabeth Emmanuel

The engagement ring with a 12-carat sapphire and diamonds was chosen from the Garrard jewelry catalog. And such an atypical step in the then conservative royal palace caused a lot of gossip behind their backs. After all, most members of the royal family choose custom jewelry. Now the ring is on Kate Middleton's hand.

She broke with the royal family's wedding tradition by changing the bride's vows. So, instead of “loving, comforting and obeying her husband,” Diana promised to “love, comforting, respecting and supporting her husband.” Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle followed suit.

Diana became the first member of the royal family to give birth in a hospital. Before Prince William was born in 1982, heirs to the crown were born at home.

Lady Di was a big fan of the Swedish group ABBA. To honor her memory, Kate Middleton and Prince William played the quartet's songs at their wedding party in 2011.

A few months before her death, Princess Diana sold 79 dresses at a charity auction Christie. She sent all the proceeds to the fund to fight cancer and AIDS.

She called her eldest son "Wombat". According to the recollections of William himself, he got the nickname after a trip to Australia, where they met this local cute animal. She called Prince Harry "Ginger".

As a child, Diana dreamed of becoming a ballerina. She attended ballet class. But her height, which was 178 centimeters, prevented her from building a career.

Among Diana's friends there were many world stars: Elton John, George Michael, Tilda Swinton and Liza Minnelli. She was also friends with the famous Hollywood couple Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn and visited them with their sons at their ranch in Colorado.

LONDON, August 31st. /Corr. TASS Igor Brovarnik/. Thursday marks 20 years since Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), died in a car accident. As a representative of Buckingham Palace told TASS, members of the British royal family, including its head Queen Elizabeth II, do not plan to take part in any official commemorative events on the occasion of this tragic anniversary.

“No official events related to the anniversary of the princess’s death are planned with the participation of members of the royal family. The royal family will spend this day privately,” Buckingham Palace reported.

However, Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, paid tribute to their mother on Wednesday at the memorial White Garden near Kensington Palace, which was Diana's official residence until her death. The princes got acquainted with the composition of the garden, consisting of white flowers - tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, as well as palm trees planted around the perimeter of a rectangular pond.

At the same time, fans of the people's princess, this is exactly how Diana remained in the memory of millions of Britons, despite the rainy weather in London, began to bring photographs of her and flowers to the gates of Kensington Palace, as was the case 20 years ago.

Then the people of the United Kingdom saw her off on her last journey as a national hero. More than 1 million people took to the streets of London to watch her funeral cortege, while half the country's population - more than 32 million people - watched the funeral broadcast on television.

Symbol of the era

Diana is rightfully considered one of the symbols of the late 20th century. A philanthropist, philanthropist and style icon, she charmed many people with her warmth, while straightforwardness was always her hallmark.

The princess was an active participant in the fight against AIDS, visiting HIV-infected people in hospitals, convincing the public that people with such a diagnosis should not be outcasts.

Diana was not afraid to shake their hands, although at that time there were many myths about this virus, and she also did not shy away from lepers. She opposed the proliferation of anti-personnel mines, which often harm civilians.

"TASS/Reuters"

The People's Princess managed to visit Russia in June 1995, visiting the Tushino Children's Hospital in Moscow, to which she donated medical equipment as part of her charitable donation. During her visit to the British Embassy in the Russian capital, she was awarded the International Leonardo Prize, which has been awarded to philanthropists and organizers of activities in the humanitarian field since 1992.

Without a doubt, Diana managed to change the old-fashioned appearance of the British monarchy and become the “queen of people’s hearts,” as she is still called in her homeland.

How did the princess die?

Princess Diana was the wife of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, from 1981 to 1996, but the couple began to live separately in 1992.

Diana died in a car accident on the night of August 31, 1997 in Paris, in a tunnel under the Pont Alma. The driver of the car, Henri Paul, in which the princess was traveling, tried to break away from the paparazzi, and when entering the tunnel at a speed of 105 km/h, he lost control and collided with a column dividing the flow of traffic.

The victims of the tragedy were the princess herself, her lover Dodi al-Fayed and the driver. Only bodyguard Trevor Rhys-Jones survived the car accident. Dodi's father, Egyptian billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed, claimed that the accident was organized by British intelligence services at the direction of the royal family. In 2008, a British court rejected these accusations.

Was it an accident

British security specialist Alan McGregor earlier in an interview with The Sun newspaper suggested that the death of the Princess of Wales could not have been a tragic accident, but a planned murder, the preparation of which could have taken six months.

McGregor, who collaborated with the Saudi intelligence services, was dissatisfied with the security measures at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where Diana was staying with Dodi al-Fayed shortly before her death. "I saw so many security breaches in that hotel and a number of other strange things, so it was bound to happen sooner or later," he said.

“You could say that all the elements that led to her death were just a tragic coincidence, but part of me believes that the preparation process [of the murder] could have taken six months,” said a British ex-secretary officer.

McGregor wondered why such an important and high-status person as Princess Diana was entrusted to be driven by a chauffeur who worked at the hotel. “It had to be a specially trained driver or a security agent,” he stressed, also pointing out that the Mercedes in which the couple was supposed to leave was driven from a public hotel parking lot in violation of safety precautions.

“Diana often said that she feared for her life, and no one even asked why,” McGregor recalled.

Diana's last words

Former emergency services employee Xavier Gourmelon, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the accident, said in his first interview with the press that Diana was conscious for some time and could speak after the car accident. “We were very close and it took us less than three minutes to get to the accident site,” Gourmelon, 50, recalled.

"She was moving a little bit and I could see that she was alive. I saw that she had a minor bruise on her right shoulder, but other than that there was nothing significant. There was no blood at all," he said in an interview. The Sun.

Gourmelon told what happened after Diana was removed from the mangled Mercedes.

"I held her hand and told her to stay calm and not move. She said: 'Oh my God, what happened?' I gave her some oxygen, me and my team were with her after she was taken out of the car "It happened very quickly because we didn't have to cut the deformed body of the car," he noted.

After some time, 36-year-old Diana stopped breathing. “We are all trained in first aid, I saw that she had a cardiac arrest and she stopped breathing. I gave her a cardiac massage and after a few seconds she was breathing again,” the former rescuer shared his memories.

“To be honest, I thought she would live,” he said. “As far as I know, when Diana was in the ambulance, she was alive, and I hoped that she would live. But later I found out that she died in the hospital".

"I know now that she had serious internal injuries, but the whole episode is still in my head. And the memories of that night will remain with me forever. I had no idea at the time that it was Princess Diana. I found out about it “When they put her in the ambulance, one of the paramedics told me that it was her,” added Gourmelon, who took part as a witness in the investigation into the circumstances of the princess’s death in 2007.