At that moment, Gourmelon believed she would survive. “I thought she’d live. I didn’t see any blood on her, only an injury to her shoulder. I truly thought she was going to pull through.”
A tragic end in hospital
Diana was rushed to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, but her internal injuries proved catastrophic. Despite desperate efforts, she suffered another cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 4 a.m.
News of her passing reverberated around the globe, sparking unprecedented public grief and leading to an outpouring of tributes that have never truly faded.
Investigations and unanswered questions
A French investigation later concluded that Henri Paul had been driving under the influence of alcohol and at excessive speed while attempting to evade paparazzi. A subsequent British inquest, Operation Paget, returned a verdict of “unlawful killing” due to Paul’s reckless driving and the pursuit by photographers.
Another key factor, the inquiry noted, was that none of the car’s occupants were wearing seat belts—a decision that likely proved fatal.
Diana’s last years
The crash came just weeks after Diana’s blossoming romance with Dodi Fayed captured worldwide attention. It followed her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles, ending 15 years of a turbulent marriage.
In one of the most unsettling details to emerge years later, it was revealed that in 1995 Diana had written a private note expressing fears that her life might end in what she described as a staged car accident—fueling decades of speculation about the circumstances of her death.
