Today marks exactly 25 years since Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales, died in a tragic traffic accident in 1997 in Paris.
“Even a quarter of a century after her death, Diana is still not forgotten, she left an incredible mark on the royal family,” says royal expert and author Joëlle Vanden Houden.
A year after the divorce from the British Crown and Prince Charles, the 36-year-old Diana had fallen in love again with the billionaire Dodi Al-Fayed who was even planning to propose to her in August 1997.
If the press had caught wind of this, the media hysteria would have burst at the seams. Paparazzi relentlessly chased the world’s most photographed woman, trying to catch a glimpse of her and her new lover. In 30 August 1997, she landed in Paris.
The paparazzi chase would finally come to a sad climax in the tunnel under the Pont de l’Alma, after Diana and Dodi had fled the Ritz hotel. The black Mercedes with the couple inside was being chased by dozens of photographers.
The driver of the car tried in vain to lose them, but eventually lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the right wall of the tunnel at 23 minutes past midnight, at a speed of more than 100 kilometres per hour.
In the crash, the car is thrown over the road and it hits a concrete pillar with a heavy blow. The driver of the Mercedes was killed instantly, as was Al-Fayed.
The bodyguard survived the crash, but sustained serious injuries. Little was initially clear about the fate of Princess Diana; she was found with her chin against her chest in the car wreck partially-conscious.
One hour later, rescuers managed to free the princess from the car but she had already suffered multiple cardiac arrests. She was taken to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital and was officially pronounced dead at 04:00 after emergency surgery.
Princess Diana of Wales is seen talking to Belgian minister Freddy Willocx, in Brussels in 1993. Credit: Belga
The news of the death of Princess Diana hit the world like a bomb.
The United Kingdom awakened in collective mourning. Millions of bouquets of flowers were deposited at Kensington Palace – Diana’s London residence – and Buckingham Palace. Joëlle Vanden Houden, who at that time worked for the then VTM program “Royalty,” remembers the day as if it were yesterday.
“On Sunday morning I received several telephone calls from news editors in connection with old reports by Diana in the archive. Then I was suddenly told that she had passed away. I rushed to the editors and it was all hands on deck for a week. When I left home, one of my daughters, who was about William’s age, said, ‘Those poor children.’ That has always stayed with me.”
The death shocked the entire world. In Belgium, pop star Michael Jackson cancelled his concert in Ostend because he was “too sad” to play.
T-shirt sales seen prior to the cancelled Michael Jackson concert, as the king of pop was too touched to perform after the death of Princess Diana, in Ostend. Credit: Belga/Olivier Matthys
Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister at the time, sobbed while he paid tribute to “the princess of the people.” Mother Theresa, who would die a few days later, prayed for her friend.
However, the response from Buckingham Palace was initially not forthcoming. Only five days after Diana’s death did Queen Elizabeth – who was in Scotland at the time – return to London under heavy political pressure.
She would finally address the nation, dressed in black, calling Diana “a unique and smart human being.”
The funeral took place on 6 September 1997 at Westminster Abbey, with millions across the world glued to their television screens. Images showed Prince Charles and sons William and Harry walking behind the coffin, with singer Elton John performing Candle in the Wind.
Diana was no longer a ‘royal highness’ after her divorce, so the royal family was initially of the opinion that no funeral should be organised for her. This caused controversy as people still saw Diana as the ‘princess of hearts.’
"Tony Blair played an important role in that, because he knew all too well that the country and the British public did not appreciate Buckingham Palace’s reaction,” said royal expert Vanden Houden.
After Diana’s death, French police arrested seven paparazzi and confiscated rolls of film. However, little can be seen in the developed photos and the seven were not accused of involvement.
Ultimately, it is assumed that it was a regrettable accident, in which the driver had three times the permitted amount of alcohol in his blood.
Conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories posit that Diana’s death was not an accident.
There are rumours that Prince Philip did not want Diana to marry a Muslim arranged her death. Another is that Diana was pregnant with Dodi Al-Fayed and would embarrass the British royal family, so the driver of the Mercedes was recruited to take care of the fatal accident.
Others speculate about a white Fiat which is said to have grazed Diana’s Mercedes just before the accident. That car was never found but conspiracy theorists believe British secret agents blocked the road.
Hounded by the media
“She played the game with the media and unfortunately it was fatal to her. A few weeks before her death, she had leaked to journalists that she was going to the Côte d’Azur with Al-Fayed, just as Charles had a party for Camilla. Naturally, the newspapers were more interested in her photos than in Camilla’s 50th birthday."
Diana was just 20 years old when in 1981 she became the British public's favourite royal after her engagement to Prince Charles, 13 years her senior. Some 750 million TV viewers witnessed the fairytale wedding that same year, which was sealed with the birth of William and Harry.
“The Princess of the People” used her immense popularity to draw attention to various issues, including the AIDS epidemic and landmines.
But the marriage between Diana and Charles did not have a happy ending and was overshadowed by adultery and an eating disorder with Diana. In 1996, a year before her death, the couple officially separated.
Diana's legacy
“Diana was a breath of fresh air in the British royal family and rose above everyone in popularity. She did things that were ‘du jamais vu’, she made the royal family more human."
"Even after the divorce, no one understood why Charles eventually chose Camilla and Diana remained hugely popular. Her tragic death truly made her an icon,” says Vanden Houden.
Even today, Diana is still ubiquitous, with several films and documentaries on her life, as well as the Netflix series “The Crown,” which focusses on her life.
Vanden Houden notes that other royals look to Diana as an example. “You see that Kate Middleton often honours her in the way she dresses. Belgium's Queen Mathilde also evokes Diana with her tendency to highlight world problems. Yet Mathilde will never outclass Philippe and always puts the king first, something that Diana did not,” concludes the royalty commentator.
