Results of a survey have been revealed on her 60th birthday

The death of Princess Diana “was not an accident”, a third of Brits have believed for decades.

The former Princess of Wales tragically died following a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. Despite the best efforts of the medical teams, the royal’s death was announced in the early hours.

She left behind two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were only aged 15 and 12 years old at the time.

Princess Diana had divorced the now King Charles only a year before, and her death impacted the then Prince of Wales. It’s said he was seen crying next to Diana in her hospital room after flying over to France when he heard the news.
Princess Diana was mother to Prince William and Prince Harry (Credit: Splash News)

What happened to Princess Diana?

Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997 when she was just 36 years old. She was involved in a car accident in Paris and succumbed to her injuries in hospital.

She suffered a broken arm, a concussion and deep cuts to her thighs. As she was being transferred into the ambulance, the royal suffered a cardiac arrest. Paramedics managed to restart her heart but she was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Rescuers who were first on the scene said Diana was moving and talking when they arrived.

They also revealed her last words.

The princess said: “Oh my God, what happened?”
Princess Diana pictured getting into a waiting car on the day she died (Credit: Splash News)

People still believe Princess Diana’s death was ‘not an accident’

To mark what would have been her 60th birthday, Sky History released data that suggested a third of Brits believe that Princess Diana’s death was not an accident. Sky History commissioned the research in 2021 – which surveyed 2,000 Brits.

The study looked at conspiracy theories that Brits believe to be true.

And one in three believe that Diana’s, the Princes of Wales, death “was not an accident”.

However, it seems attitudes have not changed over the years. A YouGov poll from 2013 showed that 38% of Brits thought Princess Diana’s death was not an accident.

Results revealed fewer than half the respondents (41%) thought he royal’s death was an accident. Many believe conspiracy theories about the car crash that killed the mother-of-two. 21% in the poll said they ‘don’t know’.

Regarding conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana’s death, one third said they thought it was ‘probably true’ she was assassinated. While, 25% claimed they thought MI6 were involved, another 25% believed she was pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. She was dating Dodi al Fayed, son of Harrods boss, at the time. 14% of those who answered the questions thought her seatbelt was sabotaged, and 16% think the SAS were somehow involved.
A third of Brits believe her death wasn’t an accident (Credit: Splash News)

Dodi al Fayed’s father spoke out

Dodi’s father, Mohamed, spoke out after the death of his son and Princess Diana. He claimed their deaths were not an accident and publicly pushed conspiracy theories into the spotlight.

He told The Mirror in 1998: “I believe in my heart 99.9% that it was not an accident.

“That car didn’t accidentally crash. There was a conspiracy. I will not rest until I have stablished exactly what happened.”

He went further to allege the crash was ordered by the late Prince Philip and carried out by the MI6. He claims it was to stop Diana from marrying his son who was a Muslim.

Due to the allegations being associated with taking place on British soil, the police could legally step in, writes the BBC.

This led to a three-year inquiry into Princess Diana’s death.

Diana was 36 years old at the time of her death (Credit: SplashNews)

Three-year inquiry into Princess Diana’s death

Operation Paget was formed in January 2004, and was tasked with investigating the bizarre conspiracy theories around Princess Diana’s death.

It was opened at the request of the royal coroner Michael Burgess, and involved a group of investigators. They spent three years and millions of pounds to determine the true cause of Princess Diana’s death.

Their findings stated that the car accident killed Diana, her boyfriend Dodi and the drive Henri Paul. It also found it was down to ‘grossly negligent driving’.

David Douglas, a member of the Operation Paget team, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain at the time of the inquiry: “It’s my absolute total belief it was a terrible, tragic accident in which three people lost their lives and one other person had their life turned upside down.”

The future King Charles was even questioned in 2005 in secret. The former head of Scotland Yard, Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, quizzed the then Prince of Wales.

He later told the Daily Mail: “At the end of the day he was incredibly cooperative because he had nothing to hide.”

The heir to the throne was brought in over questioning over a note Diana wrote before her death. She had written it in 1995 and alleged: “My husband is planning ‘an accident’ in my car, brake failure and serious head injury … to make the path clear for him to marry.”

Diana claimed Charles wanted to wed nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and Queen Camilla was a ‘decoy’. However, after speaking to Charles himself, Stevens believes the future king had no knowledge on what the note was referring to.
The future King Charles was questioned over Princess Diana’s death (Credit: Cover Images)

The results of the inquiry

The 871-page report, and more than 600 pieces of evidence that was re-examined was made public in October 2007. It concluded Princess Diana’s death was an accident, and found no truth in the various conspiracy theories around the crash.

Stevens called it a “tragic accident”.

It also debunked rumours Diana was pregnant with Dodi’s child at the time and that the couple were being monitored by MI6. But it did confirm the driver of the car, Henri Paul, was drunk and driving at excessive speed. The report also concluded that seat belts were not being worn at the time of the accident.

The report from Operation Paget was used at the coroner’s inquest into Princess Diana’s death six months later. A jury ruled the deaths were caused by “grossly negligent driving”.