On August 31, 1997, 25 years ago today, Princess Diana of England tragically lost her life in a car accident on the Pont de l’Alma highway in Paris.
While traveling in a car with her lover, Dodi Al-Fayed, Princess Diana’s driver, Henri Paul, who was also her personal security officer, was aware that paparazzi photographers were chasing them. Despite this, Henri Paul drove at high speed, and the car lost control, colliding with the 13th pillar of the tunnel and crashing into a small wall. All three people in the car were killed instantly.
Her final rites were held on September 6, and the solemn ceremony was broadcast live around the world via television. In Paris, the streets were closed off, and there were floods of tears as people laid flowers in her memory. The sadness also extended to England, where people mourned deeply in Northamptonshire. Diana, who was born on July 1, 1961, was just 36 years old at the time of her death.