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The Herald, September 1, 1997
LONDON. – Princess Diana and her new lover Mr Dodi al-Fayed were killed in Paris early yesterday morning in a high-speed car accident as they tried to flee a pack of photographers in cars and on motorcycles.
Mr al-Fayed and the driver, a security officer for the luxurious Ritz Hotel – owned by Mr al-Fayed’s father – died instantly.
Princess Diana died two hours after undergoing an operation at Salpetriere Hospital in eastern Paris, some 6km from the accident site.
The driver lost control of the vehicle as they were driving through a road tunnel running alongside the River Seine under the Place de l’Alma in the French capital’s stylish Eighth District, according to police.
The car struck a pillar, bounced back into a wall before coming to a stop, its airbags inflated and its chassis a tangle of metal, eyewitnesses said.
Seven French photographers were detained for questioning following the accident.
Borne in a coffin draped in the Royal Standard, the body of Princess Diana arrived in London later yesterday from the Paris hospital where she died.
Her remains were accompanied by her ex-husband Prince Charles and the Princess’ two sisters.
Britain was immediately plunged into mourning for the Princess of Wales. Television and radio stations suspended all normal programming and devoted blanket coverage to how the 36-year-old and Mr al-Fayed (41) lost their lives in the accident.
The BBC, whose newsreaders, reporters and interviewees all wore black, played the national anthem hourly with pictures of the Union Jack flying at a half mast.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana’s ex-husband Prince Charles were said to be “deeply shocked and distressed by this terrible news” in a statement from Buckingham Palace.
Princes William and Harry were informed of their mother’s death by Prince Charles, said the statement.
Other members of the royal family were being informed of the princess’ death. In a communiqué, surgeons Mr Bruno Rioux and Ms Philipe Pavie said that when she arrived at the hospital, the princess was suffering from “massive chest injuries and haemorrhaging, followed rapidly by cardiac arrest”.
Emergency surgery revealed a major rupture of the left pulmonary vein, they said. A spokesman for Princess Diana at Kensington Palace said the tragedy was an “accident waiting to happen” in the light of the paparazzi’s unrelenting pursuit of the princess.
From early hours in the morning members of the public began gathering outside the gates of Princess Diana’s London home, Kensington Palace, laying wreaths, crosses or written tributes, or simply drawn by a need to share their grief and be close to where the mother of the eventual heir to the throne and the most famous woman in the world lived until few hours a before.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
- People no matter how famous, are entitled to some form of privacy and as much as the paparazzi love to chase celebrities, they should also grant them their privacy.
- The behaviour of the paparazzi has led to a number of conspiracy theories on the death of Princess Diana. It has impacted on her sons, Prince Harry, in particular and their relations with the media.
- Princess Diana was adored while alive and after her death and she will forever be remembered as the “people’s princess” because she became a selfless advocate for the less privileged among us.
- One of the greatest lessons that people can take from her life is that, with courage and honesty, vulnerabilities and weaknesses can be turned into greatest strengths.
Online Reporter