Princess Diana: Who Was The Person Who Made Her Official Death Announcement?
The car crash that caused Princess Diana‘s death occurred in Paris, France. She was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital and died from her injuries. Outside the medical facility, one person was tasked with delivering the heartbreaking news to the public. Who was the person who made the official announcement regarding Princess Diana’s death?
Princess Diana did not die at the car crash site
The car carrying Princess Diana, her friend Dodi Al Fayed, Henri Paul, and Trevor Rees-Jones entered the Pont de l’Alma tunnel trying to escape paparazzi on Aug. 31, 1997. Paul lost control and crashed into the 13th pillar of the westbound carriageway in the underpass.
The car was reported to have traveled between 60 mph and 65 mph. This was twice the tunnel’s posted speed limit of 30 mph.
Paul and Fayed were pronounced dead at the scene. However, Diana and Rees-Jones survived.
Diana was taken to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital from the crash site with severe injuries. However, she was declared dead at 6:00 a.m. Paris time.
Then-French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement announced the official news that Diana had died. He wrote a detailed letter sharing details of that fateful evening, reported Express.
Details about the Princess of Wales’s death were included in a letter
The night Princess Diana died, French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement rushed to the hospital alongside Prefect of Police Philippe Massoni. There, they found doctors feverishly trying to revive the Princess of Wales.
The French Interior Minister subsequently wrote a letter regarding the events of that fateful evening. Express published the letter in full in 2017.
He wrote, “I would first like to express the deep emotion and great sorrow of the Government and people of France after the tragic death of the Princess of Wales, Mr. Dodi Al Fayed, and the car’s driver. I address the condolences of France to the Royal family, the parents of the victims, and the British people as a whole.”
Chevenement detailed how the couple arrived in Paris one day prior. He then discussed how the car entered the tunnel and how Al Fayed and driver Henri Paul died on the spot.
“According to the first information gathered, the vehicle was being followed by photographers trying to take pictures. It seems that the driver lost control of his vehicle, which he was driving at high speed,” he explained.
“The Princess of Wales died in the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital despite the efforts of the teams of doctors,” he continued. “Lady Diana was loved in France, a modern and courageous woman, sensitive to human distress. Her disappearance will be felt painfully in our country.”
Princess Diana’s body was returned to England
The New York Times reported that then-Prince Charles, Princess Diana’s ex-husband, arrived in Paris with her sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, the same day she died. Additionally, Diana’s coffin was draped with the royal standard as she left the hospital.
He brought Diana’s body back to London on a royal plane. Charles reportedly defied the wishes of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who was said to have believed Diana should receive no special treatment.
However, Charles believed his ex-wife deserved to be treated with respect because she was a former member of the monarchy. She was also the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Once Diana’s body was returned to London, it was taken to a private mortuary. Her coffin was moved twice to St. James’ Palace and then to Kensington Palace.
While Diana’s funeral was a public affair, her burial was private and held at Althorp House, the Spencer Family estate. However, only a few people were present, including Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, Diana’s mother, her three siblings, a friend, and a clergyman as Diana was laid to rest on the home’s grounds.
