The mystery of the death of Princess Diana: Unexpected details two decades later. The mystery of the death of Princess Diana: Unexpected details two decades later, Prince Charles first dated her older sister

04.04.2020

Mysteries of the death of Princess Diana: Unexpected details 20 years later

20 years ago, on the night of August 31, 1997, she died in a car accident in the center of Paris princess Diana. She was so popular and loved by the people that she earned the nickname "Queen of Hearts", and her tragic death haunts the British to this day. The circumstances of this car accident were so strange that they cast doubt on the official version of what happened. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, several scandalous investigations were made public, which made a lot of noise not only in the UK, but also abroad.

The results of the official investigations carried out in France in the UK were identical: the accident occurred for several reasons. Princess Diana and her lover Dodi al-Fayed were chased by the paparazzi, which forced the driver of the car, Henri Paul, to speed. In addition, alcohol was found in his blood, and the seat belts were faulty. Later, this version was refuted: the driver was not drunk, and the results of the examination were deliberately or accidentally confused with others. It also looked strange that 3 years after the accident, the same paparazzi who was accused of pursuing Diana was found dead in a burned-out car.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, on August 6, the film “Diana: the story in her words” was released in the UK, which caused a scandal - it was immediately called an attempt to make “money on blood”. On video recordings made in 1992-1993. her lecturer in speech technique during classes, the Princess of Wales was extremely frank about what Buckingham Palace preferred to keep silent about. The films were kept by the teacher Peter Settelen, he promised not to publish them, but as a result, he sold them to television people. He filmed Diana on video, so that later he could make out the mistakes of her speech, and did not expect that the conversation would turn out to be so frank.

In the film, Diana told that she was in love with Charles, and on the day of their engagement, when asked by a journalist about whether there were feelings between them, she answered without hesitation: “Yes". And the prince said:Can you say so". It then offended her very much. And later she was convinced that her husband loved another woman all his life - Camilla Parker Bowles. Even the birth of sons did not save this marriage. When Diana turned to the queen for advice, she only said:I don't know what to do. Charles is hopeless". Divorce was inevitable.

She felt like an outcast in the royal court. "I was rejected, and therefore I considered myself unworthy of this family. I could start drinking, but it would be noticeable, anorexia would be even more noticed. I decided to choose something that would be less noticeable: hurt myself, not others.”, Diana admits. For a while she suffered from bulimia, and then she began to have novels. Diana told her teacher that the biggest shock in her life was the death of Barry Manaki, her bodyguard, who, in her opinion, was fired and killed after their affair became known.

Journalist Mikhail Ozerov, who spoke with Princess Diana 3 days before her death, claimed that she told him of her intention to go to Paris, despite the reaction of Buckingham Palace, about her desire to build life the way she wanted, and added: “Ignore my outburst of emotions. Next time I'll be calmer. Or calm me down. It is unlikely that we will see each other again».

Special services historian Gennady Sokolov conducted his own investigation and came to the conclusion that it was a staged accident, behind which the British special services stood. Witnesses claimed that on the night of the incident they saw a bright flash in the tunnel, which could blind the driver, after which he crashed into the concrete support of the bridge. If Diana had been fastened, she would have had a chance to survive, but the seat belts, according to Sokolov, were blocked. For some reason, the video cameras in this tunnel did not work that night. Immediately after her death, her body was embalmed - according to Sokolov, in order to hide Diana's pregnancy from the Muslim Dodi al-Fayed, whom she was supposedly going to marry. Therefore, the royal family had reason to want her dead.

Egyptian billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed also conducted his own investigation, during which it turned out that Princess Diana called this period of her life the most dangerous and was afraid that the royal family would want to get rid of her. Mohammed Al-Fayed is sure that the death of his son Dodi and Princess Diana is a planned murder.

20 years ago, on the night of August 31, 1997 Princess Diana died in a car accident in central Paris. She was so popular and loved by the people that she earned the nickname "Queen of Hearts", and her tragic death haunts the British to this day. The circumstances of this car accident were so strange that they cast doubt on the official version of what happened. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, several scandalous investigations were made public, which made a lot of noise not only in the UK, but also abroad.

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, on August 6, the film “Diana: the story in her words” was released in the UK, which caused a scandal - it was immediately called an attempt to make “blood money”. On video recordings made in 1992-1993. her lecturer in speech technique during classes, the Princess of Wales was extremely frank about what Buckingham Palace preferred to keep silent about. The films were kept by the teacher Peter Settelen, he promised not to publish them, but as a result, he sold them to television people. He filmed Diana on video, so that later he could make out the mistakes of her speech, and did not expect that the conversation would turn out to be so frank.

In the film, Diana told that she was in love with Charles, and on the day of their engagement, when asked by a journalist about whether there were feelings between them, she answered without hesitation: “Yes.” And the prince said: "You can say that." It then offended her very much. And later she was convinced that her husband loved another woman all his life - Camilla Parker Bowles. Even the birth of sons did not save this marriage. When Diana turned to the queen for advice, she only said: “I don’t know what you should do. Charles is hopeless." Divorce was inevitable.

She felt like an outcast in the royal court. “I was rejected, and therefore I considered myself unworthy of this family. I could start drinking, but it would be noticeable, anorexia would be even more noticed. I decided to choose something that would be less noticeable: harm myself, not others, ”admits Diana. For a while she suffered from bulimia, and then she began to have novels. Diana told her teacher that the biggest shock in her life was the death of Barry Manaki, her bodyguard, who, in her opinion, was fired and killed after it became known about their romance.

Journalist Mikhail Ozerov, who spoke with Princess Diana 3 days before her death, claimed that she told him of her intention to go to Paris, despite the reaction of Buckingham Palace, about her desire to build life the way she wants, and added: “Do not pay attention attention to my explosion of emotions. Next time I'll be calmer. Or calm me down. We probably won't see each other again."

No one has proven the version of involvement in the death of Diana of the royal family and the British special services. Over time, more and more questions appear in this mysterious story, and still no one can say with certainty whether the death of Princess Diana was a tragic accident or the result of a planned crime.

Twenty years ago, on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana, an amazing woman who changed the face of the British monarchy, died in a car accident in a Paris tunnel. A woman who is remembered to this day.

The death of Diana was a real grief for hundreds of thousands of people: after her death, the square in front of Buckingham Palace was littered with flowers. People mourned the national favorite and continued to carry bouquets, following the call of the heart.

In the photo: a sea of flowers in front of Kensington Palace in memory of Princess Diana, 2013. Photo telegraph.co.uk

And today, twenty years later, people still bring flowers to Kensington Palace, where a beautiful garden was laid out in memory of Diana.

New films about Princess Diana

Despite the fact that there were no official events dedicated to the anniversary of Diana's death in the UK, and Prince Charles did not even interrupt his annual vacation, just like the Queen, the sad date did not go unnoticed. The people's princess is remembered in the news around the world on this day, and several documentaries dedicated to her memory were released in the UK at once.

Perhaps the most touching of them is "Diana, Our Mother - Her Life and Legacy Documentary" ("Diana, Our Mother, Her Life and Legacy"). This is an amazing film filled with personal memories and sincere emotions, in which Diana's adult sons tell about the life and death of Diana.

In the photo: Princess Diana with her sons. Photo dailymail.co.uk

For all my skepticism about the idealization of the figure of Lady Dee, I could not hold back my tears, listening to Harry and William talk about their mother with warmth and love. Indeed, for them, Diana was not at all a princess who suffered in an unsuccessful marriage, but a wonderful mother who gave them surprisingly bright, joyful moments.

A few years ago I read the book "Princess Diana. The life she told herself. Turning the pages, I sympathized with Diana, at the same time marveling at her childish naivety, but at the same time I did not understand what made the whole world admire this woman. After all, Diana married not a man, but her dream, a ghostly “prince” from a fairy tale, about whom she knew almost nothing, whose hobbies she did not share and did not understand. And years later, having experienced great disappointment from her husband's dislike, Diana plunged into the abyss of depression, which turned into bouts of bulimia for her. Surely you have read about it or at least heard it out of the corner of your ear.

The story of the tragic love triangle of Diana, Charles and Camilla is probably known to everyone who is at least somewhat interested in the fate of Lady Dee or the new history of the British monarchy.

In the photo: the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. Photo dailymail.co.uk

One can endlessly discuss Diana's mistakes as a wife, but it is impossible not to respect her for how much she did for her children. She gave them a childhood full of fun adventures. According to William, there are still rare days in his life when he does not remember his mother and does not regret that she is not around. In the same film, both princes recall how they spent time with their mother, and what love the world was filled with in her presence. Personally, I burst into tears at the moment when the sons recall their last conversation with Diana, that phone call when they hurried about their children's affairs, now regretting very much that they did not talk to her longer and did not say something important.

Perhaps it can be said that Diana destroyed the traditions of a restrained upbringing adopted in the royal family, based on distance and respect, but not on love for children. Diana loved and adored her children, and with great joy, which is visible in every photograph and every frame of rare surviving videos, she spent time with the boys. William's heart breaks at the thought of not being able to introduce his mother to his wife and children, imagining what a wonderful grandmother she would have become. Of course, the elder prince, who has already become a father himself, is trying with all his might to preserve the memory of his mother, telling the children about grandmother Diana. Their house is full of photographs of Lady Dee, but they will never replace a living person and his warmth, which the prince regrets immensely.

It is impossible to hear about this without tears. And if these days you also remember Princess Diana, find strength in yourself and watch this touching film about the memory that her sons keep.

Photo: Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate Middleton in the memorial garden on the anniversary of the death of Diana. Photo abcnews.go.com

Good Deeds of Princess Diana

Of course, on the anniversary of Diana's death, there is a lot of talk about her huge contribution to charity. Diana was one of the first to draw attention to the problem of AIDS, a disease that the press preferred to keep silent about. Diana visited hospitals, touched AIDS patients, shook hands with them, hugged them when not all doctors agreed to do this.

No less significant is the contribution of the princess to helping the homeless, to cancer research and the fight against the use of anti-personnel mines. Now, after the death of Diana, her good work is continued by her sons, whom the princess taught to love, respect and support people who suffered misfortunes and misfortunes.

In the photo: Princess Diana in a minefield. Photo abcnews.go.com

Another film, the release of which was also timed to coincide with August 31, is dedicated to the circumstances of Diana's death and the first days after it - "Diana, 7 Days" ("Diana, 7 days"). Again, a lot of attention in the film is paid to the feelings and emotions of those close to the princess and, first of all, her sons. Princes Harry and William have repeatedly spoken negatively to the paparazzi, accusing them not only of the death of their mother, but also of indifference, and even cynicism with which they filmed the scene of the tragedy instead of trying to help Diana, who was seriously injured, but that’s all is alive.

The last, though far from new, but probably the first film shown in its entirety in Britain is "Diana: In Her Own Words" ("Diana: In Her Own Words"), based on several videos made by Diana's public speaking teacher, who The princess spoke about the problems in her personal life. He kept these records and, of course, sold them profitably after the death of the princess. In the frame we see a living, open, vulnerable Diana. This is a rare opportunity to see the true face of a public person. The film is interesting for the incredible degree of frankness with which Diana tells about her relationship with Charles, about how rarely he is in her bedroom, and how cold and even rude he can be with her.

Diana Documentary: "Diana: In Her Own Words"

These days, in various documentaries, programs and chronicles, so much is said about Princess Diana that it is simply impossible to stay away. And one cannot help but be amazed at how much she was loved for her humanity, kindness, responsiveness and openness, which was not characteristic of royalty. Princess Diana was loved by many, and the fact that her memory lives on 20 years later speaks volumes about what an amazing person she was. After all, she was not loved for a fairy tale, which suddenly became the life of the "simple" daughter of the count (by the way, it is still unclear to me why they talk about Diana as Cinderella, because she was not at all). She was loved for the good that this Queen of human hearts radiated and created.

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

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

Paparazzi

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

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 death of reporters and photographers, who did not allow their mother to live in peace until the tragedy itself.

Mysterious Fiat

The second version is a car that could cut 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 next to the accident, they even found fragments of a white car. But, even having information about the car and a description of the appearance of the driver, 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 was found only in 2000 in the French Pyrenees, dead in a burnt car. His death was regarded as a suicide, but when they found him, they found traces of shots ..

Drunk driver, exorbitant speed and seat belt

The Mercedes in which Diana and her companion were 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, was faulty, although the princess herself was always in awe of the issue of safety.

It was also later revealed that the car was in a terrible state and had been hastily repaired following 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 security chief of the Ritz Hotel and also died in the crash. Investigators accused him of driving drunk and driving the car up 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, were voiced in a letter to the butler, are not direct evidence, but still the very fact of such a letter is quite remarkable. The letter said that Prince Charles was planning an accident with Diana's car, brake failure and a serious head injury so that his path to a new marriage was free.

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, Al Fayed's revenge could be 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 the death of Diana, mourning was declared in England, a mound of flowers grew near the gates of Kensington Palace, which many thousands of people brought 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. Diana is dedicated to "No-one but you" by Queen, "Candle in The Wind" by Elton John and many other famous hits. By the tenth anniversary of the death of Diana, the film "Princess Diana. Last Day in Paris" was filmed. This year, 20 years after the tragedy, two documentaries were also released: "Diana is our mother" and "Diana. The story in her words."

Princess Diana died twenty years ago. Today, millions of people remember her as the queen of hearts and 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 an 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 do not agree with the official version.

A surveillance 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 shooting where they are alive. The paparazzi knew that Lady Dee had stopped at the Ritz and were on duty at the door of the hotel. They also knew that the couple was going to go to Dodi al-Fayed's Parisian 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 that 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 generally remains at the Ritz Hotel, and Henri Paul, the head of security at the hotel where the lovers spent their last evening together, drove the car. In addition to Diana and al-Fayed, Trevor Rhys Jones, Diana's personal bodyguard, was driving the Mercedes.

Through the rue Cambon and the Place de la Concorde, the car sped through the streets. Paparazzi were circling right, left, behind and in front. At the entrance to the Alma tunnel, Henri Paul, who was driving 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. Filmed at the scene of the tragedy, shots of a mangled Mercedes flew around the world.

The driver Henri Paul, whose blood alcohol level, as it turned out later, exceeded the permissible limits by 3 times, and Dodi al-Fayed died on the spot. The princess was taken to a military hospital, where she died a few hours later without regaining consciousness. The guard Trevor Rees-Jones, who received numerous injuries, survived, underwent several difficult operations, but even during interrogation a few years later he could not give any evidence. He lost his memory.

For 20 years now, the main dispute of all interested parties: was it still an accident or was the Princess of Wales killed? All these years there were interrogations, investigative experiments, trials, endless testimonies were collected, interviews and memoirs were published. For Ken Whorf, one of Diana's bodyguards, what happened in the Alma Tunnel is 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 driver of the Mercedes was drunk. As found out NTV columnist Vadim Glusker, the 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 assassination.

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

Mohammed al-Fayed calls the attitude of the royal family towards his son Dodi racism and hypocrisy. According to him, they did not even want to imagine that a native of Egypt, besides 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 adoptive brother or sister. It is the possible pregnancy of Diana that is called another reason for her death. The Windsors allegedly could not allow this and involved the special services in the case.

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

A 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: 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 Dee or to perpetuate her memory in the form of a memorial plaque, then they gathered 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.