Princess Diana's Final Video Weeks Before Her Death Shows It Was a Tragedy Waiting to Happen
A resurfaced video of Princess Diana taken two weeks prior to her ultimately death sparks a fiery debate on media's harassment and accountability.
People across the world mourned Princess Diana’s untimely death. The accident, which transpired on August 31, 1997, at the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, sparked a fierce debate on media accountability. Decades later, the public grief still lingers. Recently, a resurfaced video, taken two weeks before Diana's death, went viral as it left people with an eerie realization—it was a tragedy waiting to happen. The clip featured the Princess, clad in her iconic Harvard sweatshirt and cycling shorts, rushing to her car to escape the paparazzi.
According to FandomWire, Diana was coming out of her gym after a grueling workout session. The clip horrified royal fans as the Princess looked visibly upset as photographers hounded her. A netizen commented, “Killed when she was at her happiest, murdered by paparazzi,” while another, filled with sorrow, chimed, “You never left that poor woman alone.” As the comments poured in, royal watchers expressed their love for the Princess and longed for her return.
It is widely believed that the relentless pursuit of photographers caused Diana’s car to speed, leading to the fatal crash that killed the Princess, her partner Dodi Al Fayed, and driver Henri Paul. Dodi’s father, Mohammad Al Fayed, also believed that Diana was nine to ten weeks pregnant at the time. This theory was also echoed by French investigative journalist, Chris Lafaille, who allegedly possessed hospital documents confirming the same.
WATCH: 20 years ago today, Princess Diana was tragically killed in a car crash in Paris. Her shocking death stunned the world. pic.twitter.com/8jrPBeO0xo
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 31, 2017
On the night of the accident, Diana and Dodi planned a decoy vehicle to escape the paparazzi. They sent two cars out the front of the Ritz hotel to fool the photographers while they slipped out from the rear exit. But the unyielding media soon caught up, aggressively in pursuit of photos. A lawsuit later revealed that driver Paul was drunk at the time of the crash. Before leaving with Diana and Dodi, Paul was seen ordering alcohol at the hotel’s Bar Vendome. The chilling last security footage of Diana in the lift with Dodi still sends shivers down the spine. The Princess, smiling and giggling, had no idea what was coming next. As they exited, Dodi lovingly embraced her—unaware of the tragedy that awaited. According to the BBC, CCTV footage showed Paul waving at photographers before the couple left the Ritz.
Diana had a complicated relationship with the media. While she entertained the media at public events, she turned hostile when they came close to her children. In one incident, when she and her sons were on a skiing holiday in Austria, photographers refused to leave them alone. Prince William looked very uncomfortable, and Diana looked visibly upset. Another incident in St Tropez saw her reportedly strike a deal with the media, promising a 'big surprise' if they left her children alone. She did this to protect her children from relentless media attacks, often at her own expense. She also allegedly called the paparazzi, who showed a lack of sympathy for her plight, ‘big game hunters of another age.’
