Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

East entrance to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, where Diana, Princess of Wales, was fatally injured.
Date	31 August 1997 (1997-08-31)
Location	Pont de l'Alma, Paris, France[a]
Coordinates	48°51′51.7″N 2°18′06.8″E / 48.864361°N 2.301889°E / 48.864361; 2.301889[1]
Type	Car crash Death caused by dangerous driving
Deaths	Diana, Princess of Wales Dodi Fayed Henri Paul
Non-fatal injuries	Trevor Rees-Jones
Inquiries	French criminal trial (1999) Operation Paget (2008)
Accused	Jacques Langevin Christian Martinez Fabrice Chassery[2]
Charges	Invasion of privacy[b]
Verdict	French criminal trial: Not guilty[2] Operation Paget: Unlawful killing

During the early hours of 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died from injuries sustained earlier that night in a fatal car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. Diana's partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were found dead inside the car. Dodi's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was seriously injured and was the only survivor of the crash.

In 1999, a French investigation found that Paul lost control of the vehicle at high speed while intoxicated by alcohol and under the effects of prescription drugs, and concluded that he was solely responsible for the crash. He was the deputy head of security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris and had earlier goaded paparazzi waiting for Diana and Fayed outside the hotel.^[3] Anti-depressants and traces of an anti-psychotic in his blood might have worsened Paul's inebriation.^[4] In 2008, a jury at the British inquest, Operation Paget, returned a verdict of unlawful killing through grossly negligent driving by Paul and the following paparazzi vehicles.^[5] Some media reports claimed that Rees-Jones survived because he was wearing a seat belt, but other investigations revealed that none of the occupants of the car were wearing them.^[6]

Diana was 36 years old when she died.^[7] Her death sparked an outpouring of public grief in the United Kingdom and the world,^[8] and her televised funeral was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people.^[9] The royal family were criticised in the press for their reaction to Diana's death. Public interest in Diana has remained high and she continues to retain regular press coverage in the decades since her death.

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