Princess Diana tragically lost her life in a car crash at the Pont de l’Alma tunnel, in Paris, on August 31, 1997. While her bodyguard survived the crash, Diana along with her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, and their driver succumbed to their injuries. Reflecting on the same, one of the UK’s leading forensic pathologists challenged the circumstances around her death as Diana’s fatal injury was rather minor and survivable. He opined that the late Princess would have lived if she had been wearing a seat belt or if the car had been traveling at a slightly lower speed.
Dr. Richard Shepherd shared that her injuries included just a few broken bones and a small chest injury. What ultimately proved fatal was a tiny tear in a vein in her lung. Shepherd revealed the findings in his 2018 book, Unnatural Causes , as reported by The Daily Beast . He penned, “Her specific injury is so rare that in my entire career, I don’t believe I’ve seen another.” As reported by Page Six , he continued, “Diana’s death is a classic example of the way we say, after almost every day: if only. If only she had hit the seat in the front at a slightly different angle. If only she had been thrown forward 10 mph more slowly.”
Princess Diana pictured in the back of her car on the night of August 31, 1997. Moments after this image was snapped by paparazzi, she was involved in a fatal accident that ended her life. pic.twitter.com/wY8ptoxB66
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The pathologist added, “Had she been restrained, she would have probably appeared in public two days later with a black eye, perhaps a little breathless from the fractured ribs, and with a broken arm in a sling.” Diana’s boyfriend, seated beside her in the back of the car, died instantly, but Diana initially survived—partly because her bodyguard in the front seat, who was wearing his seat belt. “Bodyguards don’t usually wear seat belts as they restrict movement, but Rees-Jones [did], maybe because he was alarmed by Henri Paul’s driving,” Shepherd wrote.
The last photograph of Princess Diana, 1997 pic.twitter.com/7eJ75zYxrH
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The forensic expert explained that the bodyguard’s seatbelt, along with the protection from the car’s inflated airbag, helped absorb some of the impact when Diana was violently thrown forward from the back seat. This reduced some of the force that would have otherwise intensified her injuries. Emergency personnel discovered Diana wounded but more-or-less stable, still able to communicate. Sadly, she later lost consciousness as her condition deteriorated in the ambulance, suffering a cardiac arrest.
Twenty-seven years ago, on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana tragically died in a car accident in Paris. The news shocked the world and left millions devastated by the sudden loss of the people’s princess. pic.twitter.com/xWETjJDpkQ
— The Royal Family Channel (@RoyalFamilyITNP) August 31, 2024
Doctors at the hospital quickly identified the issue and tried to fix the injured vein, but it was too late. Cardiothoracic surgeon Tom Treasure who reviewed the crash data opined that Diana was conscious when she was taken out of the vehicle. However, as reported by the CBC , she had circulation issues, with a fast pulse and low blood pressure that indicated significant internal bleeding. Almost three decades later, Diana’s tragic passing is still remembered.
