In 1997, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. The incident captured the attention of the world, prompting global outpourings of sympathy, and no small number of questions about the tragedy that led to her death. While the French authorities undertook multiple investigations into the collision throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, theories that there was more to the accident than met the eye continued to swirl. Ultimately, the British Metropolitan Police took up their own investigation, known as Operation Paget. Their investigation is dramatized in the final episodes of The Crown's sixth season, but what's the real story?
Why did the British investigate Princess Diana's death?
Immediately following the crash that killed Princess Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul (a bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor from the car) the French authorities began looking into the collision. The original inquest determined that the accident had been caused by a mix of drugs and alcohol in Paul's system (blood tests found Paul’s blood alcohol level to be more than times the legal limit in France, and also found prescription drugs that could adversely interact with alcohol) and the speeds at which he was driving as he maneuvered the car into the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.
However, Mohamed Al Fayed, the billionaire father of Dodi Al Fayed, appealed those findings, charging that the paparazzi who were in pursuit of Diana and Dodi's car contributed directly to the crash, making them guilty of manslaughter—The Court of Cassation dismissed his appeal in 1999, and upheld the dismissal again in 2002. Fayed also filed a claim for damages of approximately $141,000 against two investigating judges, alleging the inquiry was flawed; that claim was denied in 2001.
Despite the findings, Fayed continued to make a number of assertions about the death of Diana and his son, including allegations that the couple were intentionally killed. In January 2004, his claims prompted the British Metropolitan Police to take up their own investigation of the issue, noting in their ultimate findings, released in 2006, that "The opening of the inquests had been delayed until then because of ongoing legal proceedings in France."
What did Operation Paget look into?
"We looked into 104 allegations made by various people of conspiracy and murder. During the inquest, all our evidence was cross-examined," John Stevens the then-Metropolitan Police commissioner who headed Operation Paget said in 2022. Among the prime sources of speculation were the claims that the British royal family was involved in orchestrating Diana's death, that the princess was under surveillance by the British intelligence forces at MI6, that the U.S. Secret Service was listening in on her phone calls, and that she was pregnant with Dodi's child.
Costing millions (£3.69 million or roughly $7 million according to NYT reporting from the time) and spanning the course of nearly three years, the project included 14 investigators who interviewed 300 witnesses, including members of the royal family like Prince William and then-Prince Charles, and compiled more than 600 pieces of evidence, as well as re-examining testimony and evidence from the previous French inquiries. Investigators were reportedly allowed "virtually unprecedented" access to MI5 and MI6 files, and were also in contact with American intelligence and national security forces to discover relevant information.
What were the findings of Operation Paget?
Ultimately, the 800+ page findings of the operation echoed the conclusions of the previous French investigation: that the crash was caused by intoxication and excess speed, and that the injuries of all involved were exacerbated by the fact that no one in the car was wearing a seatbelt. Additionally, blood tests determined that there was no evidence that Diana was pregnant at the time of her death.
"Our conclusion is that, on the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car," Stevens said in a statement when the findings were presented. "This was a tragic accident." He added, "A crash of this nature is similar to a major crash of an airliner. There is a long chain of events. Take out any link of that chain and this would not have happened."
Fayed called the results "garbage," stating "I’m certain 100 percent that a leading member of the royal family has planned that and that the whole plot was executed on his order with the help of members of MI6."
In 2008, a separate coroner’s inquest in Britain determined that the photographers following Dodi and Diana's car did pay a role in their deaths, however due to lack of jurisdiction, no charges resulted from the findings.
Lauren Hubbard is a freelance writer and Town & Country contributor who covers beauty, shopping, entertainment, travel, home decor, wine, and cocktails.
