Thurs 14 Dec 2006

Report on the death of Diana

The Paris car crash which killed Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed 9 years ago was an accident, an official British police investigation concluded today. The Metropolitan Police's report found that the couple's chauffeur Henry Paul, who also died, was over the French legal alcohol limit for driving, and was speeding. There was no evidence to suggest that Diana was, or was about to become engaged, nor that she was pregnant, nor that there was a conspiracy to murder any of the cars occupants, or that any information has been withheld from the inquiry. Mohammed Al Fayed has responded, disputing the findings.

The inquiry, which began in January 2004, cost £3.69 million and has resulted in an 832 page report, but will the conspiracy theorists ever be silenced? What happened to the nation during those weeks in 1997 when we effectively entered mass mourning? Did Diana and her death have a lasting impact on the monarchy?