Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, when she was just 36 years old.
She left behind her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and her death plunged the world into mourning.
Yet even as the 'People's Princess' lay dying in that Paris tunnel, photographers tried to capture her final moments.
Here is everything we know about the night Diana died, and the mourning that followed.
What happened on the night Princess Diana died?
Princess Diana was killed in the early hours of August 31, 1997, after a horror car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris.
She and her partner Dodi Fayed were in the car returning from the Hotel Ritz Paris to an apartment in Rue Arsène Houssaye.
They departed the hotel via a rear entrance to avoid some 30 paparazzi waiting at the entrance to photograph the Princess of Wales. They also pursued the royal's car.
She and Fayed were not wearing seatbelts when the car's driver, Henri Paul, the deputy head of security at the Ritz, lost control of the vehicle in the tunnel.
It struck the right-hand wall of the tunnel, then swerved sharply into the left side of the carriageway before slamming into a pillar supporting the tunnel's roof.
The head-on collision occurred at 12:23am on August 31, and the car was travelling at an estimated speed of 105km per hour – more than twice the tunnel's 50km per hour speed limit.
The vehicle spun and slammed into another wall, where it smoked as witnesses and photographers arrived at the scene.
Some tried to help the car's occupants, who were still inside the wreck, while others took photos of the scene.
What was Princess Diana's cause of death? Did she die instantly?
Princess Diana did not die instantly. She was still conscious when police and ambulances arrived at the scene of the crash less than 10 minutes later, but was horribly injured.
In shock, Diana was removed from the wreckage at 1am and went into cardiac arrest, but CPR got her heart beating again.
She was put in an ambulance and rushed to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, arriving just after 2am.
Her injuries were critical and extensive, her heart having been displaced into the right side of her chest by the crash.
Despite attempts to revive her, the Princess of Wales died in hospital from internal bleeding just before 5am on August 31, 1997.
Her tragic death may have been avoided if she had been wearing a seatbelt, claimed Dr. Richard Shepherd, Britain's top forensic pathologist, in his 2019 book.
"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.
How old was Princess Diana when she died?
Princess Diana was just 36 when she died, and had only celebrated her birthday less than two months earlier on July 1, 1997.
Her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were aged just 15 and 12 respectively when their mother died.
What were Princess Diana's last words?
It's reported Diana was heard murmuring "oh my god" repeatedly when witnesses and emergency workers arrived at the car wreck.
She allegedly also said "leave me alone" when police pushed photographers and other witnesses away from the car.
Dr. Frederic Mailliez, an EMT at the crash, told author Tina Brown: "She kept saying how much she hurt."
In a move that has been widely criticised for decades since, photographers took out their cameras at the scene of the crash and took photos of the royal in the wreck.
Other witnesses were horrified by the vile act, and one photographer was reportedly beaten by witnesses for trying to photograph the injured princess.
Five photographers were arrested at the scene of the crash, while two more were detained by police.
An estimated 20 rolls of film were taken directly from photographers and their vehicles impounded.
Prince Harry spoke about the press response to the crash in his documentary with Oprah Winfrey, saying, "The same people that chased her into the tunnel photographed her dying on the backseat of that car."
The last photos ever taken of Diana as she lay dying in the car wreck are widely considered disrespectful, but Italian magazine Chi published several in July 2006.
Who was in the car when Princess Diana died?
Princess Diana was not the only passenger in the car when it crashed in 1997.
She and her partner Dodi Fayed were sitting in the back seats, while Trevor Rees-Jones, a member of the Fayed family's personal protection team, sat in the front passenger seat.
Henri Paul was in the driver's seat. None of the passengers are believed to have been wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
Fayed died at the scene of the crash from his injuries, and Paul was pronounced dead as he was removed from the wreckage.
Rees-Jones suffered severe facial injuries and a head contusion, but survived his injuries and was the only person to survive the horror crash.
Paul was behind the wheel of the 1994 Mercedes-Benz W140 and was later found to have a blood alcohol level of 1.75g per litre of blood. That's about 3.5 times the legal limit in France.
A French investigation later concluded in 1999 that Paul caused the crash when he lost control of the vehicle at high speed while intoxicated.
How was Princess Diana's death announced to the world?
Princess Diana's death was first announced by anesthesiologist Bruno Riou, who shared the news at 6am at a news conference at the hospital where she died.
Early reports had said the princess was suffering from injuries, but hadn't revealed how severe they were.
The royal family had been informed of the news around 3am UK time, while Prince Charles and his sons were at Balmoral in Scotland with the Queen.
Her Majesty and Charles chose to let Harry and William sleep and tell them the tragic news in the morning, rather than wake them up for it.
Charles travelled to Paris the same day accompanied by Diana's two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, to collect her body.
They brought her back to the UK, where the nation was in mourning. News of Diana's death had dominated headlines, newspapers, radios and TV coverage all day.
There were calls for the Queen to respond to the tragedy and return to London from Balmoral, but she chose to remain with her grandsons there as long as possible.
Her Majesty returned to London with Prince Philip, Charles, Harry and William for Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997.
On the eve of the service, she delivered a historic address to the nation remembering her daughter-in-law and mourning her death.
Around the world, the general public were mourning the 'People's Princess', and in London thousands of mourners laid flowers outside Buckingham palace in her honour.
What happened at Princess Diana's funeral?
Princess Diana was laid to rest in a public royal funeral watched by more than 2.5 billion people worldwide.
It wasn't an official state funeral, but the 'People's Princess' was so beloved the royals pulled out all the stops for the sombre occasion on September 6, 1997.
Two million mourners turned out to line the streets outside Westminster Abbey, where her funeral was held after a royal procession through the streets.
Diana's ex-husband Charles and their sons, Harry and William, walked behind her coffin alongside Prince Philip and Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer.
Diana's sons reportedly didn't want to walk behind their mother's coffin, but Tina Brown claims Philip believed they would regret the decision not to walk in the procession.
He reportedly said to the boys: "If I walk, will you walk with me?"
Harry and William were told not to cry as they walked, and at the funeral service Earl Spencer gave a controversial eulogy blaming the press for Diana's death.
Where was Diana buried and where is her grave?
Princess Diana was buried in the Pleasure Garden at Althorp, her family's estate in the English country.
Her coffin was buried on an island in the middle of a lake called The Oval in the gardens, where her brother Earl Spencer still leaves flowers for her.
The princess was buried in a black Catherine Walker dress, holding a rosary gifted to her by Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
How old would Princess Diana be today?
Had Princess Diana lived, she would be turning 60 on July 1, 2021, but her sons are honouring the milestone in her memory.
William and Harry commissioned a statue of her in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, and it will be unveiled on what would have been her 60th birthday.
Made by British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, the statue of Diana will be installed in the Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace, her favourite spot.
What are the conspiracy theories about Princess Diana's death?
Though investigations into the car crash that killed Princess Diana ruled the driver caused the collision, there were conspiracy theories about her death.
Most theories – no matter how outrageous – claim that the princess' death was not an accident.
Some conspiracy theorists claim Diana's death was orchestrated by the royal family, others insist Henri Paul crashed the car on purpose.
Dodi Fayed's own father claimed Diana was pregnant with Fayed's child (this was disproven) and her death organised by MI6 and the royals.
None of these conspiracies have ever been proven and investigations into the crash have all ruled the crash was accidental.
The iconic jewels worn by Diana, Princess of Wales
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2021-06-19 21:35:15Z
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