The tragic death of Princess Diana: What happened in her last 24 hours?

On August 31, 1997, the world was stunned as Princess Diana of Wales, known as the 'people's princess', died tragically and unexpectedly. Even all these years later, the last 24 hours of her life are still being analysed and new information about that final day is constantly emerging.

The Princess of Wales was only 36 years old. And, despite her youth, Diana left a legacy that, to this day, still endures.

The persona of Princess Diana actually seemed to overshadow Queen Elizabeth herself. She was a woman with a completely opposite profile to the monarch. For this reason (and much more) her brutal accident was a shock for people around the world and the people mourned the death of a public figure as never before.

The question is, how did Diana of Wales live the last 24 hours of her life? Surgeon MonSef Dahman, who attended the princess in the Parisian hospital where she died, has spoken to Daily Mail but did not really offer any relevant details. The 56-year-old doctor, who now lives on the French Riviera, limited himself to deny any conspiracy theory and affirm that everything possible was done to save Diana Spencer's life.

But what happened before that moment in the hospital?

In the summer of 1997, Lady Diana had been legally divorced from Prince Charles for a year. Despite this, the couple had already been living independently for more than four years. The separation caused a huge amount of stress to Diana with constant paparazzi hounding her as she was trying to rebuild her life and regain the normality that would allow her to continue her good deeds and her life as a woman, public figure and mother.

A few weeks before traveling to Paris, Princess Diana had enjoyed a few days with her sons, William and Harry, in the beautifully crystal clear waters of Saint-Tropez (France). The two heirs were 15 and 12 years old, respectively.

After leaving their mother in France, William and Harry went to the Queen's summer home in Balmoral (Scotland), where Prince Charles was waiting for them. Meanwhile, Diana of Wales stayed in France, spending a few days on Dodi Al-Fayed's yacht.

Dodi Al-Fayed was a wealthy Egyptian businessman with whom Diana had an affair, although they tried to keep it a secret relationship. Dodi was the son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed.

Everything has been written about Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed's relationship. From head-over-heels in love to a simple affair that happened to allow them both to forget another previous love. Of course, there was also talk of a possible wedding, even speculation of a pregnancy.

The truth of their relationship was lost forever on that fateful August day in 1997.

A day before the accident, on August 30, 1997, Diana of Wales and Dodi Al-Fayed had parked the yacht in the south coast of France and took a plane to Paris.

If we take a look at Dodi Al-Fayed's agenda, there had only been one appointment on that penultimate day of August 1997: to look for an engagement ring to propose to his beloved. Where did he have that appointment? A trusted jewellery store, located near the Ritz Paris Hotel, owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed.

But plans went awry upon arrival in Paris, when they were greeted at the airport by a group of photo-hungry and, according to eyewitnesses, quite aggressive paparazzi.

It was 4:00 p.m. on August 30, 1997, when the couple arrived at the Ritz Hotel and went upstairs to rest in the Imperial Suite.

Photo: Coco Chanel Suite at The Ritz, Paris

After a brief step away from the glare of cameras, the couple parted ways. Diana had arranged to meet a stylist, while Dodi Al-Fayed took advantage of the moment to go shopping for the famous ring.

Diana took advantage of her short time alone to call her sons. William and Harry were still in Scotland. When their mother called them, they were playing and did not want to talk too much with her.

As both confessed later, they have regretted this lack of attention and probably will for the rest of their lives. But of course, the young boys didn't know what was going to happen just a few hours later.

In fact, the following day, Diana was scheduled to fly to London and spend a few days with them before the school year began.

At 7:00 pm, the couple met again and went together to Dodi Al-Fayed's apartment. They washed up, changed clothes and went out for dinner at one of the most exclusive restaurants in the French capital. Or at least, that was the plan. The presence of paparazzi was so overwhelming that they decided to change plans and return to the Ritz Hotel, looking for some privacy to eat and to pop the big question which, according to the news stories, was going to happen that night.

They didn't make it. Why, you ask? Well, the hotel restaurant was full of customers who couldn't take their eyes off the press's most wanted couple. Diana simply wanted to be a normal person dining with their partner at the next table. When that appeared impossible, they took their food to the Imperial Suite.

Dodi Al-Fayed did not want his marriage proposal to be in the Imperial Suite of the Ritz Hotel but at his apartment. Yet, the paparazzi were not going to let them leave quietly. At that moment, Henri Paul, the hotel's head of security, appeared and came up with an escape plan for the couple.

Dodi Al-Fayed's chauffeur would drive his car out the front door of the hotel, while Henri Paul would drive out the back exit of the hotel and pick up Diana, Dodi Al-Fayed and his bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones.

There were two serious problems with the plan. First, at the back of the hotel there were paparazzi too. Second, and on a much more serious note, Henri Paul had been drinking - as the investigation report would later state.

A video, recovered from the hotel, showed the head of security at a bar, just minutes before taking the car to pick up Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed. The autopsy of the driver, who also deceased in the accident, would reveal that his blood alcohol level was 1.75. It's not permitted to drive in France with a level over 0.5. Henri Paul's blood alcohol level corresponded to four glasses of whiskey or 10 glasses of wine.

These were not the best conditions for a driver who suddenly found himself involved in a fierce paparazzi chase. It was 00:20 hours on August 31, 2021 when everything suddenly happened very fast. As they speeded through the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, the car in which Diana of Wales, Dodi Al-Fayed, Trevor Rees-Jones and Henri Paul travelled, crashed into a column.

Dodi Al-Fayed and Henri Paul lost their lives instantly. The bodyguard's face was disfigured but he remained alive. Meanwhile, Diana was seriously injured but conscious at all times. In fact, witnesses to the accident claim that she kept saying: "God, it hurts. It hurts."

These same witnesses then decided to take pictures instead of helping the injured. It must be added though, that many of those present at the time said that Diana was trapped in the car with her legs. In order to help her, they needed to wait for firemen and an ambulance that took 15 minutes to arrive.

While they waited for help to arrive, Frédéric Maillez, a doctor who saw the accident, was able to treat Diana and keep her alive, with the few resources he had at hand.

The transfer of Diana to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital was not easy. The hospital was quite far from the area of the accident. In addition, the ambulance had to stop just a few meters from the hospital, because Diana's blood pressure began to drop dangerously low.

Once in the hospital, the doctors decided to perform an emergency operation on Diana. The most serious aspect of her condition, as reflected in the autopsy, was that the impact of the accident had displaced her heart from the left to the right side of her chest, tearing the pulmonary artery and the pericardium.

Despite the best efforts of medical personnel, who tried to revive her for more than an hour, Diana was officially declared dead at 04:00am on August 31, 1997.

Diana's remains were taken to London by her family and Prince Charles. The people's Princess's funeral, broadcast live, was watched by millions around the world.

And so it was that the last 24 hours of Diana's life, which could have been the Princess' happiest in a long time, became the most fateful. A young mother of 36 saw her life cut short in the most tragic way perceivable.