Princess Diana
Fancy dresses, parties, castles, divorce, and death. This was what Princess Diana’s life was like when she entered the royal family, and after she had left it. Princess Diana was commonly known as the “people’s princess”(Gupta 1), everybody loved her, she was beautiful, kind, and a fashion icon. She died in a car crash on August 31, 1997(Roberts 1). Since then, there have been many theories made of what caused her death. The question is, did the royal family have her killed, did the paparazzi purposefully crash her car, or did she die because her driver was drunk and crashed. Let us investigate Princess Diana’s life and death and figure out if the royal family had her killed.
Character Analysis
Princess Diana of Wales, the ex-wife of Prince Charles of Wales. She died when she was 36 years old, she had ash-blond hair, was 5’10”, blue-eyed, and weighed 127 pounds. She was a charitable and charming person, known for her beauty and style. With her constantly changing style and hair, she was known for her glamour and beauty. She was bright and loving, her kindness like no others, and her charitable personality made people very fond of her. One of Diana’s famous quotes showcased her kindness, “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”(Nowak 6)
The people of England loved her, so much so that she was known as the “people’s princess”, “ her activism and glamour soon made her an international icon, earning her the title of ‘People’s Princess.”(Surbhi Gupta, The Indian Express). Many people looked up to her and she was known for her beauty. She was very open about her struggles and life, whether it is about her troubles in her marriage, bulimia, a life-threatening eating disorder, and her low self-esteem. This was a part of her charm, she was very open with people and the problems she had, making her a very relatable person. She also worked a lot of “normal jobs” such as becoming a pre-school assistant and even a dance instructor at some point. Most people describe her outward appearance as beautiful but her charisma makes her even more beautiful. She was known as a fashion icon and some have even said after her death that she “ has ascended to the pantheon of the best-dressed women in history…”(Tashjian). In the article “How Princess Diana Became a Fashion Icon” by Rachel Tashjian, it’s stated that Princess Diana did not talk a lot out in public or for interviews but that everyone thought they knew her because of her clothing said enough and spoke for her. Her style was described as “very glamorous regal style” overseas that she became known for. When she died people quickly called to find someone to blame.
She was known for her many charity works she started work by helping and supporting HIV and AIDS patients. “Recognising the lack of education on the disease, Diana used her status to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic.”(“historic newspapers”). She also joined another charity to support homeless youth and give them a new chance at life primarily education-wise, which encouraged her sons after she died to visit and participate in the charity as well. She also supported the Leprosy Mission and cancer trusts, her main priority working with charities seemed to be primarily medicine and life-threatening diseases. She had an award named after her, “The Diana Award”, a legacy of Princess Diana’s work to help children, youth, and terminal diseases to find the cure. With knowing how charitable Princess Diana was for others and how she tried to help everyone she could it is not surprising how outraged people were at her death and how someone so amazing could end up dying in something that seems so mild.
She was a bright person described by the warm aura she seemed to give off. She loved her sons and “ ...she decided to raise her sons in a more “normal” fashion.”(Ton Nu). She wanted them to know more about the world than the royal family. She refused to be separated from nine-month-old Prince William even though that was the norm for the royal family to do. She also matched her schedules with her sons so she could spend as much time as possible with them, and she was the person who took her sons to school and did not have them homeschooled like the rest of the royal family had been which again was against the norm of the royal family. She was even said to not wear gloves with her outfits because she wanted to be able to touch the hands of the people she met, specifically at the charities she visited and went to. These things made her known as warm and kind.
Princess Diana was loved by everyone to the point that when it come to it many took her side over the royal family. She was beautiful, kind, warm, and loving. There is a lot to say about how great her character and personality were perceived by everyone. To this day, her sons Prince William and Harry honor her memory and how amazing a person and mother she was. She was an icon and helped the world in so many ways, She will forever be remembered and known as “... the "People's Princess," a woman of contradictions who was born into wealth yet seemed to have a "common touch"; a woman who struggled with her self-image yet was a fashion icon; a woman who sought attention but often stayed at hospitals and other charity sites long after the press had left.”(B. A., Mundelein College).
Conspiracy Theories
There are three main conspiracy theories on the death of Princess Diana. The first theory is that the royal family was influenced and killed because of their distaste toward Diana having a child with and marrying a Muslim man that could be the Prince’s stepfather (Royston 1). The second less heard theory is that paparazzi caused the crash when they were chasing them to their hotel. The final conspiracy is that Princess Diana died how the police said she died, in a car crash due to a drunk driver’s negligence(Pham 1).
The widely popular conspiracy is the royal family had her assassinated. Many people believe this theory simply because Princess Diana herself was concerned she would die that way and “Operation Paget uncovered evidence that Princess Diana believed "efforts would be made" to arrange for her to be involved in a car crash” (Royston 1). She also expressed her concerns by meeting with her lawyer, Victor Mishcon, and private secretary Patrick Jephson on October 30, 1995, and the attorney made a note of what was said”(1). The father of Dodi Fayed, Diana’s boyfriend, claimed: “during TV interviews that Diana and Dodi had told him she was pregnant and they were about to announce their engagement when they died”(1). No proof of her being pregnant was ever found, but Mohamed Al Fayed claimed that her body had been embalmed, so no one would ever know she was pregnant (1). Though Mohamed claimed they were going to announce their engagement, there were many statements from friends of Diana stating she said “Absolutely not. I've just got out of one marriage and I'm not going to get involved in another one”(1). One friend said Diana was even angry when Dodi found a ring he wanted to give her and that she would wear it on her right hand (1). Mohamed Al-Fayed believes that because she was pregnant and planning to get engaged to a Muslim man, Prince Philip had them killed as a way to prevent him from becoming the stepfather of Princes William and Harry (1). All of these points and claims were pronounced untrue with no evidence stating otherwise. Others argued that no proof was found against these claims either making it still believable for most people seeing it as a “he said, she said” situation.
The second conspiracy and not as widely believed as others are the paparazzi caused the crash, on the night of August 30, 1997, when they were chasing her (Roberts 1). That night paparazzi “camped outside the Ritz Paris hotel as Diana and Dodi ate a late dinner”(1). After the couple left the hotel the paparazzi chased after them. The way paparazzi pursued the car Princess Diana was in, causing the car to “clip the back of a white Fiat Uno and slammed into a pylon at about 100 mph”(1). The paparazzi who arrived within a minute of the crash did not interfere with the emergency personnel, but still took pictures of the scene of the crash which were never released (1). Seven photographers were detained and charged with manslaughter and stayed in jail for three days before the charges were dropped (1). Reporters on TV claimed the fault of the paparazzi chasing them (1). Even Tom Cruise on CNN blasted the media: “It is harassment,” he proclaimed angrily” (1), and Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, released a statement on the paparazzi having a “direct hand in her death”(1) blamed the paparazzi and believed wholeheartedly that they caused the crash that she was in and later died from.
The third theory and the one that was decided and released as true is that her driver that night and the “hotel’s deputy head of security”(Roberts 1), Henri Paul’s “blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit”(1) crashed into a pole. Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul died at the scene of the crash (Pham 1). Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Reese Jones survived the crash with serious injuries(1). Diana was “still alive at the scene of the crash but was in critical condition, was rushed to the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital where she died” (1). This theory is not considered a conspiracy theory only because people who believe this, believe that their deaths were due to Henri Paul’s negligence (Roberts 1). This is the theory that was released by the police, ruling out any other theory that was and is still believed.
Most people believe that the royal family is at fault for Princess Diana’s death. The lack of proof conveniently ruled out all of Mohamed Ali Fayed's claims that could have been easily covered up with the royal family’s influence. The world may never know if that is truly the case but by most of the public, it is seen as what truly happened.
Conclusion
Princess Diana is still being seen as an amazing person and princess by the people. We may never know what occurred that fateful night, but the three conspiracy theories remain open. Did the royal family purposefully kill Diana? Did the paparazzi crash her car causing her death? Did she die due to a drunk man’s negligence, as the investigators claim?
Work Cited
B. A., Mundelein College, and Meadville/Lombard Theological School M. Div. “Biography of Diana, Princess of Wales.” ThoughtCo, https://www.thoughtco.com/princess-diana-biography-3528743. Accessed 24 Sept. 2021.
Emma.Goodey. “Diana, Princess of Wales.” The Royal Family, 21 Dec. 2015, https://www.royal.uk/diana-princess-wales.
“Explained: The Enduring Appeal of Diana, the ‘People’s Princess.’” The Indian Express, 19 Nov. 2020, https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-enduring-appeal-of-diana-the-peoples-princess-7056606/.
McDowell, Erin. “10 Times Princess Diana Showed She Was an Amazing Mother.” Insider, https://www.insider.com/photos-of-princess-diana-as-an-amazing-mother-2020-6. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.
Nu, Tram Anh Ton, et al. “Princess Diana Was ‘Not Terribly Bright,’ But She Had Other Skills That Made Her Successful, Said Royal Expert.” Showbiz Cheat Sheet, 9 Nov. 2020, https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/princess-diana-was-not-terribly-bright-but-she-had-other-skills-that-made-her-successful-said-royal-expert.html/.
Pham, Jason. “Princess Diana’s Cause of Death Was So ‘Rare’ Some Doctors Hadn’t Seen It Before—Here’s How She Died.” StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2021, https://stylecaster.com/how-princess-diana-died/.
“Princess Diana Charity Work | Historic Newspapers US.” Historic Newspapers, 2 May 2017, https://www.historic-newspapers.com/blog/princess-diana-charity-work/.
Tashjian, Rachel. “How Princess Diana Became a Fashion Icon.” Vanity Fair Blogs, 23 Feb. 2017, https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/02/princess-diana-fashion-icon.
The Power of Diana’s Charisma. https://sites.ualberta.ca/~publicas/folio/35/03/05.HTM. Accessed 24 Sept. 2021.
Roberts, Roxanne. “Diana and the Media: She Used Them, and They Used Her. Until the Day She Died.” Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2017. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/diana-and-the-media-she-used-them-and-they-used-her-until-the-day-she-died/2017/08/24/c98418ca-812d-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html.
Royston, Jack. “Princess Diana Death Conspiracies—from Prince Philip’s Revenge to CIA Plot.” Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2021, https://www.newsweek.com/princess-diana-paris-death-conspiracies-prince-philip-revenge-cia-plot-1615563.