Diana suffered several injuries in the crash. Sole survivor of Diana crash heard the Princess cry out for Dodi as she Princess Diana did not die instantly. When Richardson and Luz ran into the tunnel, they saw the car facing back in the direction from which it had come, its roof crushed, its windshield smashed and its air bags deployed. Presiding over the first British public hearings into the tragedy, he has access to all 6,000 pages of evidence uncovered by French investigators and the power to compel British witnesses to attend. Taken by one of the paparazzi, the princess is visible in the rear seat peering back at the pursuing French photographers. Clarity of thought, says the Home Office, allied to compassion; commitment to public service; the ability to counsel the bereaved and work harmoniously with police, doctors, undertakers, registrars, politicians, inspectors and the media; a knack for calming tense situations and reassuring nervous witnesses; an understanding of the importance of each inquest to the bereaved. Prince William agrees. Carter was 34. Her specific injury is so rare that in my entire career I dont believe Ive seen another, Shepherd wrote in his book. Close-ups show the blonde-haired Princess in the back seat of the crashed Merc after the roof had been removed. EXCLUSIVE: High-ranking Met Police officer on 100,000-a-year who was found to be a regular user of King Charles' Coronation LIVE: The monarch's unexpected defender from Down Under, Beatrice and Eugenie in Dr Martin Scurr: Why have I always had a runny nose for 30 years - and what can I do to make it stop? Had she been strapped in she would have walked away with a black eye or maybe a broken arm, but nothing more. Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com. A woman reads the news of Princess Diana's death. For example, Mohammed al-Fayed, Dodis father, believes Diana was pregnant with his sons child (this was later disproven by forensics). For me, Im just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side. I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. A scene of desolation and horror is captured in the seconds after the crash. What I do remember with startling clarity is that I didnt cry. Photo / Getty. When Diana died, she was still in the process of defining her post-royal existence. Diana, Princess Of Wales, Sitting On The Steps Outside Her Country Home, Highgrove. Married with children, he is fiercely protective of his private life. How Time Softened Judgment of Camilla and Fury Over Diana's Death - The The coroner cannot force foreign witnesses to attend. Shepherd has revealed Diana's fatal injury was "tiny" - and he has never seen a similar cause of death in his decades as a top pathologist. Princess Diana's Death - Cause, Timeline & Age - HISTORY Princess Diana death photos totally tasteless - SheKnows Follow. Al Fayed, who has refused numerous requests to talk to . "Diana was slightly more fortunate because their bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was sitting in front of her and he was strapped in.". I did not see the car anymore because the light [of the flashes] was so bright. Who the deceased were, where and when they died, how the cause of death arose. The paparazzo who owns the photo denies selling it. Before the crash, paparazzi had also been aggressively following the car, and the accident raised a lot of questions about the price of celebrity and the extreme media exposure Diana endured while she was alive. He can also ask French doctors, the paparazzi or anyone else to take the stand - but the Coroner of the Queen's Household may prefer to not to call anybody. My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television, Harry told Newsweek in a 2017 cover story. She had a concussion, broken arm and a cut to her thigh, according to United Press International. She kept saying how much she hurt, Mailliez told Brown. His How Did Jerry Springer Die? Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Mens Health, Womens Health, Self, Glamour, and more. We pay forvideostoo. Dianas funeral was held on September 6, 1997. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. 3 Min Read. In 2004 a British police inquiry was opened to establish if there as any reason to doubt that Diana and Dodi Fayed were victims of a road crash accident, with Shepherd appointed to review the evidence. According to reports, Paul lost control of the car and collided into a pillar in the middle of the highway. the local traffic laws allow; and from the west end, where the narrow tunnel opened onto a spectacular view of the left bank of the Seine. "But I entirely concurred with the findings of the inquiry. or debate this issue live on our message boards. His private secretary at the time obtained the files, though he removed the shots that would be the most challenging for Harry to see. Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry and the ex-wife of Prince Charles, died on August 31, 1997. 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." DrRichard Shepherd has revealed some of the queries he has received about the people's princess down the years. Fashion fail! The photos also show the shuddering impact of the black limousine after it collided with pillar 13 - and how the car virtually disintegrated, such was the force of the collision. Princess Diana's Last Words Revealed by a Firefighter at Car Crash She became agitated, then lowered her head and closed her eyes.. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, that walk, Prince William shared in a 2017 BBC documentary called Diana, 7 Days. 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? Not one tear. After a two-hour operation to save her, the doctors failed to get Dianas heart to beat properly and she never regained consciousness. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Clickheretouploadyours. A photo by Serge Benhamou was made available Thursday, Oct. 11, 2007, from evidence presented at the inquest being held in London into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales . Expert investigation reveals the truth about Princess Diana's death 25 Diana passed away from internal bleeding at 4:53 on the morning of August 31, 1997. This picture dated 21 August 1997 shows the wreckage of Princess Dianas car in the Alma tunnel of Paris. playerId: '23ba37b9-6b10-40bc-b11a-f40e98f370db', 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, Shepherd wrote. 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. When news broke that the beloved princess and young mother was dead, it completely rocked the world. It felt she was almost walking along beside us to get us through it.. Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj's "Princess Diana" debuts at No. 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. 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 ", Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you. 'Was she pregnant?. "Veins, of course, are not subject to the same high-pressure pumping as arteries. Career coach Rebecca Andruszka was a college freshman, smoking cigarettes on her dorm room stoop with her freshly acquired friends, when she heard the news. View our online Press Pack. Not known as someone who seeks publicity, Michael Burgess will nevertheless be guaranteed a prominent place in the history of Diana's life and death, whatever conclusion he reaches. All were quickly arrested and led out in manacles. "Belts are designed to give gradually while they restrain. 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. A few minutes past midnight on Sunday, Diana and Fayed left the hotel and got into the Mercedes-Benz that was waiting for them, likely to travel to Fayeds private Parisian estate. Understandably, they were devastated by their mothers death. Harry stepped back from his duties as a royal in 2020. 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. In 1996, Diana and Charles would divorce. See more about. 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. 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. The last royal inquest was carried out in 1972 when Prince William of Gloucester, eldest son of the Queen's uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, was killed in a plane crash. It will also contain transcripts, official statements, and details of procedural decisions. At 4 a.m. Paris time, after two hours of massaging Diana's unbeating heart, doctors declared the princess dead. In her book The Diana Chronicles, author Tina Brown describes the scene of the crash. A private man who has investigated deaths from Deepcut to Milly Dowler. A girl ran out and announced to the whole block, 'Princess Di was in a car accident,' and burst into tears, Andruszka said to OprahMag.com (now Oprah Daily). According to Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II shielded her grandsons from the ensuing news spectacle. She left behind her two sons, Prince William, 15, and Prince Harry, 12. It could take the coroner six months to absorb and judge the French evidence. 4 in US. How did Prince Harry and Prince William learn about Princess Dianas death? She was still conscious when police and ambulances arrived at the scene of the crash less than 10 minutes later, but was . Im very aware that this story has been told very widely before, said director Ed Perkins earlier this year. 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. However, there are also the second test results and witness reports, and a bar bill from the Ritz, suggesting he had been drinking heavily. Those were some of the issues tackled in TIMEs special report the following week, which explained just what was known at that time to have happened: There was little sound for the first two minutes after the crash except for the hoarse wail of the mangled cars horn. Billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed has relentlessly accused the British government of orchestrating the death of Princess Diana, and his son, Dodi. The body had been flown back to London from Paris that afternoon, via RAF Northolt. The coroner's decision is final. Heidi Powell Reflects on Dave Hollis' Cause of Death: 'There Are a Lot Early reports said Diana was suffering from a concussion, broken arm, and cut thigh. Who can ask the witnesses questions? There are some doctors, but they are mostly lawyers like Michael Burgess. I will be eternally grateful to him for denying me the ability to inflict pain on myself by seeing that. "Henri Paul effectively acted as Dodi's airbag and he died instantly. This is understandable. Dr Richard Shepherd said he was inundated with questions about Princess Di's autopsy but has long refused to reveal intimate details. But I think that the family were somewhat slow, perhaps, to recognize the need to step forward in their public role of showing leadership for the country in its grief about the death of the princess., Eventually, on September 9, 1997, the queen addressed the nation in her first live broadcast since the Gulf War in 1991. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, 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. PRINCESS Diana's death 20 years ago left a hole in the heart of the British public. 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. But it is the occupants of the front seat that catch the eye. Dr Shepherd was a Home Office pathologist when he was called on to carry out the autopsy on Diana, one of the 23,000 or so he has performed in his career. Read on for what we know about the Princess of Wales cause of death and the rare injury that caused her to lose her life. "Agitated" Princess Diana ripped out drip-inquest | Reuters We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Sources close to Mohamed Al Fayed, who claims his son and Diana were murdered in an Establishment plot, said the existence of the last picture of the couple surrounded in the front and the rear by photographers proved they were pursued to their death by the paparazzi. 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. The Man Who Investigated Princess Diana's Death Tells All - Daily Beast Im living the life that she wanted to live for herself, living the life that she wanted us to be able to live. But her most lethal injuries were severe chest wounds. Anyone who has a "proper interest" (such as the families of the deceased) can hire a lawyer or do it themselves. According to Oprah magazine, Diana suffered from a concussion, a broken arm, a cut thigh and massive chest injuries. He was also the coroner at the inquest into the death of Milly Dowler, the murdered schoolgirl whose remains were found in Yateley Heath Forest in Hampshire. 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. Anatomically, it's hidden away, deep in the centre of the chest. Perhaps it's no surprise that evidence of her death was similarly capturedbut it's certainly shocking. She was 36 years old. Why Did James Corden Leave The Late Late Show? Armchair medics in the United States have suggested so; but the French authorities say everything possible was done to keep her alive. Operation Paget disposed of every substantive allegation. But seconds earlier there had been a tremendous noise. Prince Nelson Rogers was declared dead at 10:07 a.m. 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. It's official! The file also contains expert evidence on the accident itself (the damage to the car, its presumed speed on impact, the skid marks in the road, the evidence that the Mercedes struck - rather than was struck by - a white Fiat Uno just before the crash). The British inquests are not being held because there is any official doubt about the thoroughness of the French investigation. What Happened to Jamie Foxx? Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we have each other., As many royal followers remember, Princess Diana was under intense media and paparazzi attention at the time of her death, which occurred a year after she finalized her divorce from Prince Charles. Not because of the feeble notion that it would support a murder theory - the senior police source in France who told us Diana was pregnant was also sure her death was accidental - but because a cover-up may help explain some of the puzzling events seized on by conspiracy theorists.