Death of Diana, Princess of Wales — road accident causing the death of the British princess
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a Paris car crash in 1997 prompted a global outpouring of grief and a televised funeral watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people.
Key Facts
- Date of death
- 31 August 1997
- Age at death
- 36 years
- Location of crash
- Pont de l'Alma tunnel, Paris, France
- Funeral viewers (estimated)
- 2.5 billion people worldwide
- Sole survivor
- Trevor Rees-Jones, Diana's bodyguard
- Official verdict (UK inquest)
- Unlawful killing due to grossly negligent driving
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Henri Paul, the Mercedes-Benz chauffeur and deputy head of security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris, drove at high speed through the Pont de l'Alma tunnel while intoxicated and under the influence of prescription drugs, including antidepressants and traces of an anti-psychotic. He had earlier confronted paparazzi outside the Ritz who were pursuing Diana and Dodi Fayed.
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, the Mercedes carrying Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi Fayed, and Trevor Rees-Jones crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. Diana and Fayed were fatally injured; Paul was also killed. Rees-Jones was the sole survivor, having sustained serious injuries. None of the occupants were wearing seat belts.
Diana's death prompted an unprecedented international outpouring of public grief. Her televised funeral was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people globally. A 1999 French investigation blamed Paul solely for the crash, while a 2008 British inquest returned a verdict of unlawful killing citing grossly negligent driving by Paul and the pursuing paparazzi. The investigation remained controversial for decades.