The anticipation surrounding the upcoming final season of The Crown, set to premiere on Netflix on November 16, is escalating.
Season six is poised to delve into the years spanning from 1997 to 2005, capturing the events leading up to and the aftermath of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s tragic car accident in Paris in 1997.
In the recently released full-length trailer for season six, viewers caught a glimpse of how showrunner Peter Morgan and his team might portray the incident: depicting Dodi (played by Khalid Abdalla) and Diana (portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki) leaving their hotel amidst a swarm of paparazzi, moments before the fatal crash.
Princess Diana was an iconic figure at the time of her untimely demise.
The details of the Paris crash on August 31, 1997, have been extensively scrutinized, investigated, and revisited by various entities including law enforcement, prosecutors, journalists, writers, and admirers over the past thirty years.
The forthcoming portrayal in The Crown adds another layer to the ongoing examination of this tragic event, raising questions about how such a profound and distressing incident will be handled with sensitivity.
Here is a chronological breakdown of Princess Diana’s final hours leading up to the fatal accident:
On the afternoon of August 30, Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed arrived in France after spending nine days together aboard Dodi’s father Mohamed Al-Fayed’s yacht touring the French and Italian Riviera.
Upon landing at Le Bourget Airport in Paris from Sardinia’s Olbia Airport, they were greeted by swarms of paparazzi.
The couple checked into The Ritz, owned by Dodi’s father, with plans to stay for one night before heading to London.
During that afternoon, while Diana visited the hair salon, Dodi purchased an £11,600 Repossi diamond engagement ring from a jeweler.
Details such as the ring’s inscription, purchase date, and description were confirmed.
Al-Fayed later revealed that the ring was not an impromptu buy, indicating that the couple had been ring shopping in Monte Carlo, with the final selection delivered to Paris from Italy.
However, CCTV footage contradicts this claim, showing Dodi perusing various diamond rings at the shop.
Al-Fayed disclosed that Dodi intended to propose to Diana that evening, but the couple left the hotel post-midnight without the ring.
It was retrieved from Dodi’s apartment on Rue Arsène Houssaye, a short drive from The Ritz, following his demise.
Later that evening, the couple moved between Dodi’s apartment and The Ritz, attempting to dine at Chez Benoit, a Michelin-starred bistro, but were thwarted by paparazzi.
They eventually sought privacy in their suite at The Ritz after a failed dinner outing.
Subsequently, a plan was devised to evade the paparazzi by using a decoy car to distract them while Dodi and Diana exited from the rear of the hotel.
At 12:19 am, the couple departed from the hotel but were pursued by both cars and motorcycles.
As they sped through the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, their driver, Henri Paul, lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a collision with a concrete pillar.
Swerving and colliding with a passing white Fiat at 12:23 am, the Mercedes-Benz W140 carrying Diana and Dodi crashed into a concrete pillar.
While the bodyguard survived, Diana, Dodi, and Henri perished in the tragic accident, with witnesses reporting smoke emanating from the wreckage.
Emergency services were summoned, with paparazzi present at the scene—some offering assistance, while others documented the devastation.
By 12:33 am, the authorities had arrived at the crash site, followed by the ambulance at 12:38 am.
Despite Dodi’s immediate death, Diana was found conscious in the vehicle, uttering distressing phrases.
Medical reports later revealed her injuries, including a dislocated collarbone and fractured rib and arm.
Subsequent efforts to provide medical aid to Diana at the crash site culminated in her suffering a heart attack around 1:00 am.
After resuscitation attempts, she was transported to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries at 3:00 am despite the medical team’s valiant endeavors.
At 6:00 am, a press conference announced the heartbreaking news of Princess Diana’s passing, marking the end of an era and leaving a void in the hearts of millions worldwide.
