The end of summer is approaching on August 30, 1997 when Lady Diana lands at 3:20 p.m. at Le Bourget airport, located 13 kilometers northeast of Paris, on the arm of her companion, the billionaire Dodi al-Fayed.
Officially divorced from Prince Charles for a year, Diana Spencer spent her holidays alongside the film producer to discover Europe. Bosnia, Monaco, Côte d’Azur, Sardinia… At each stage of their journey, the couple is tracked down and photographed by a horde of paparazzi. Paris is no exception: as soon as they land, several photographers on motorbikes await them.
4:30 p.m., arrival at the Ritz
Lady Diana and Dodi al-Fayed have to spend a few days in Paris before returning to London and decide to go to the Ritz. The owner of the Parisian palace, located Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement, is none other than the father of Dodi al-Fayed, the rich and powerful Egyptian businessman, Mohammed al-Fayed. The paparazzi are still there and machine-gun the entrance of the hotel hoping to capture an image of the couple.
5:40 p.m. – 9 p.m., the Princess of Wales hunted down in Paris
The couple visit apartments together in the capital. Then the princess tries to go shopping on the Champs-Élysées, the Egyptian goes to a jewelry store to spot an engagement ring, according to Vanity Fair, a jewel with a diamond star called “Dis-moi oui”. They had planned to dine in a posh restaurant in the Marais but canceled at the last moment because, once again, each time they moved, the flashes crackled.
9:50 p.m., last meal at the Ritz
They decide to return to the Parisian palace for dinner. Observed by all the customers, Lady Di and her companion are placed in an isolated room and will taste a meal prepared by chef Girardin. The couple then decides to go to the private mansion of Dodi al-Fayed, in search of calm and privacy.
August 31, 1997, 00:10, the car scheme
To trap the photographers gathered at the entrance to the hotel, the Egyptian and his security team devise a scheme. Dodi al-Fayed’s Mercedes 600, parked in front of the hotel, will leave first while he and Lady Di will leave the hotel from the back, in another Mercedes. They are still spotted. A dozen motorcycles pursue them.
00:30, the fatal accident
The accident takes place less than five minutes after their departure. The Mercedes drives at 150 km/h to escape the photographers, but the driver Henri Paul loses control of the vehicle. He hit the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel under the Alma bridge. The man died instantly as well as Dodi al-Fayed. Lady Di and her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, are alive.
When the police and emergency services arrive on the scene, the Princess of Wales must be extricated. His right foot is stuck under a seat, the operation takes more than an hour.
02:00, Diana Spencer arrives at the hospital
While the Princess is transferred to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, the investigation begins at the scene of the accident and seven photographers are taken to the premises of the criminal brigade. The motorcycles are seized as exhibits.
04:25, death of Princess Diana
Victim of hemorrhagic shock once there, then of cardiac arrest, the condition of the princess is serious. The doctors discover an internal haemorrhage caused by the rupture of a pulmonary vein which will be fatal to him. She was declared dead at 4:25 a.m. on August 31, 1997. Lady Di was 36 years old.