Princess Diana tragically died on August 31, 1997, from injuries sustained in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. She was seated in the back of a Mercedes-Benz S280 with her lover, Dodi Al-Fayed, both unbuckled. Dodi and the driver, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene, while Diana was rushed to the hospital, where she passed away. The only survivor was Diana’s and Al-Fayed’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones.
Her coffin, draped in the royal flag, was transported from Paris to London, placed in a private morgue, and later taken to the Royal Chapel at St. James’s Palace. On September 5, Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to Princess Diana in a televised address, and the princess’s funeral took place at Westminster Abbey on September 6. Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, along with her ex-husband, Prince Charles, and other family members, followed her coffin in the funeral procession. Elton John performed the re-written version of “Candle in the Wind 1997” during the ceremony, marking the only time he performed the song live. The proceeds from the single were donated to charities supported by the princess.
Later that day, a private burial ceremony took place. Attendees included Diana’s ex-husband, her sons, mother, siblings, close friend, and priest. Diana was dressed in a long-sleeved black gown by Catherine Walker, which she had purchased just weeks before the tragedy. A set of rosary beads from Mother Teresa was placed in her hands. The funeral procession was led by the 2nd Battalion of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, which was entrusted with carrying Diana’s coffin across the island. Diana had served as colonel of the regiment from 1992 to 1996.
She was laid to rest on an island in the grounds of Althorp Park, the Spencer family estate, in a private ceremony. Initially, it was planned for her to be buried in the family vault at a local church near Great Brington, but her brother, Charles Spencer, expressed concerns about public safety and the overwhelming crowds. He decided it would be safer to bury her in a location where her grave could be well-maintained and where her sons, William and Harry, as well as the Spencers, could visit her.
A French judicial investigation later determined that the crash occurred due to the driver’s actions, as traces of alcohol and prescription drugs were found in his system. In February 1998, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s father, publicly claimed that the crash was planned, accusing MI6 and the Duke of Edinburgh. An inquiry from 2004 to 2008 concluded that the driver had been speeding to escape paparazzi chasing the princess.
