Looking Back on the Late Princess Diana’s Tragic Death Nearly Three Decades Later

Princess Diana tragically died at the age of 36 following a shocking car crash in Paris. Here, we look at the events leading up to — and following — the devastating incident.

Dating Dodi

Weeks into a summer romance, Diana and new boyfriend Dodi Fayed — a Hollywood film producer, 42, whose father owned London’s swanky Harrods department store — had dinner at the Ritz Paris. They left for Dodi’s apartment shortly after midnight on Aug. 31, 1997.

Drunk Driver

Henri Paul, the Ritz’s assistant director of security, drove away with the couple and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, the only survivor. Their Mercedes hit a column inside a tunnel as Henri, who’d been drinking earlier that night, tried to evade photographers at 121 mph.

Her Last Words

Paris firefighter Xavier Gourmelon was among the first responders. He delivered chest compressions to Diana, who hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt, on the scene. Later, he revealed to The Sun, she momentarily regained consciousness and asked, “My God, what has happened?”

They Tried to Save Her

Doctors at Paris’ Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital tried to stop Diana’s internal bleeding and restart her heart via cardiac massage and electric shocks during two hours of emergency surgery, but her injuries were too severe. She was declared dead at 4 a.m.

Bringing Her Home

Though their divorce had been finalized the previous year, ex-husband Prince Charles (now the king) flew to Paris, joined by Diana’s sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, to retrieve her body the same day. They returned to London with Diana’s casket that night.

Britain Mourns

Though the royal family initially, and controversially, kept its distance by remaining at Queen Elizabeth II’s Balmoral estate in Scotland, the grieving public couldn’t stay away. Mourners left more than 11,000 tons of flowers outside Diana’s Kensington Palace home.