Читать книгу Lady Diana – Top Secret - Sergio Felleti - Страница 8

FROM THIS MOMENT ON, PRINCESS DIANA'S LAST DAYS BEGIN

1981 February 24: Charles Windsor and Diana Spencer get engaged.

1981 July 29: Charles and Diana get married.

1982: To her surprise, Diana realizes that her marriage is formed by three people. Charles is the perpetual lover of Camilla Parker Bowles. Despite much effort (seductions and suffering) Diana cannot separate them.

1984: In the year of the birth of Prince Harry, George Smith (one of the Palace wait-staff), claims to have surprised his colleague Michael Fawcett having a homosexual intercourse with Prince Charles Windsor. Smith reports the following to Diana: «Fawcett and Charles are lovers». This scandal, by the way, was mentioned by the newspaper "Mail on Sunday", in December 2002.

1992 December 9: Charles and Diana are officially separated.

1994 June 29: Prince Charles, through the TV channels of BBC, admits that he had committed adultery with Camilla Parker Bowles.

1995 September: Diana meets her new lover: it is the Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

1995 November 20: Diana is interviewed on TV. She talks about her uneasy relationship with the Royal House and her troubled marriage with Charles.

1995 December 14: Diana reveals the news that her husband Charles got their sons' nanny pregnant. Later he paid her to have her get an abortion.

1996 August 28: Charles and Diana are officially divorced.

1996 December: Many tabloids announce the beginning of an alleged love story between Lady Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed.

1997 Spring: End of the loving relationship between Hasnat Khan and Diana.

1997 July 11: Diana and both sons, William and Harry, are guests of the billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed and spend their holidays in Saint-Tropez, in the Castle Saint-Thérèse. This is a vast estate of the Egyptian magnate.

1997 End of July: The two princes William and Harry return to England, at Highgrove, in the custody of their father Charles. Diana leaves for the holidays with her friend Rosa Monckton.

LADY DIANA'S LIFE IS ABOUT TO END

Let's get into the atmosphere of the last existential and tragic summer vacation to examine the final weeks of the couple Diana and Dodi, during their first and last cruise around the northern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Guy Croussy, a writer, British crown specialist and author of the book Les Chagrins du Prince Charles, had a press service which he used to inform many journalists about all movements done by the new couple.

Croussy information included precisely the times of arrival and departure in all the ports where they would have arrived with the Jonika yacht, in the Mediterranean, these are: Saint-Tropez, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, Sardinia, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Elba island and others. Furthermore, the information stated: Thursday afternoon, August 28 in Paris, stop at Ritz Hotel, visit to Villa Windsor in the Paris suburb of Bois the Boulogne. Saturday morning August 30 in London.

The following Monday, September 1, together with her former husband Charles, Diana would have taken her son William to the reopening of Eton College, the famous English private school situated in Eton, Berkshire. This is an elitist school founded in 1440 by Henry VI (Stuart) King of England and baptised: “King's College of Our Lady of Eton Beside Windsor”.

August 1997 from the 5 to the 20: Diana leaves Saint-Tropez for a charity journey in Bosnia, at “Landmine Survivors Network”. Together with her there is Lord Deedes (former manager of “The Daily Telegraph”).

1997 August 10: “Sunday Mirror” publishes the famous picture of the “KISS” between Diana and Dodi. According to public opinion, this first and only photo should reveal the existing romantic relationship between the couple. This scandalous picture is also the first snapshot showing the Princess in the arms of another man after the marriage with Charles.

From this moment, mass media around the world, promote the feeling that the Princess could be pregnant of a Muslim child, of which Dodi could be the father.

1997 Thursday, August 21: After a visit in the Greek islands, Diana leaves for a quick visit to London, to her apartment in Kensington Palace. She returns to Saint-Tropez the same day.

1997 Sunday, August 24: As written by tabloids: “In Montecarlo (district of the Principality of Monaco), Dodi invites Diana to the prestigious jewellery of Italian Alberto Repossi in Monaco, and offers the Princes a fabulous ring, called Dis-moi oui. Diana is nonchalant of that gift, but it is not her finger size, Repossi promises to fix it. The ring will be ready for pick up at the store in Paris, Place Vendôme, the following week.

Dodi and Diana are now on board of the yacht Jonikal (owned by Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed), they set sail leaving the port of Monaco on the French Côte d'Azur, heading to Portofino on the Italian Riviera Ligure. As usual, Diana carries four mobile phones.

1997 Monday, August 25: Chased by numerous paparazzi on a motor boat, Diana and Dodi leave Portofino and head towards the south of the Riviera Ligure. They cross the sea in front of Chiavari and Sestri Levante, in direction of Cinque Terre, then they drop anchor at Porto Venere, just before La Spezia.

1997 Tuesday, August 26: Diana and Dodi spend an entire day on the Tuscany Coast. They pass the archipelago along Capraia Island, and moor the yacht Jonikal at Elba Island.

1997 Wednesday, August 27: Diana and Dodi leave Elba and head to the coast of Sardinia.

1997 Thursday, August 28: Dodi and Diana, still aboard of the magnificent yacht Jonikal, are now in Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, near Olbia. According to the established itinerary, the couple should have left that afternoon for Paris.

1997 Friday, August 29: It is the penultimate day of the Mediterranean cruise on Al-Fayed's yacht. Diana has often called her sons. In a telephone call made to her faithful butler Paul Burrell, Diana asks for advice: «How should I respond if Dodi gives me an engagement ring? My desire to get married is like the desire of having a pimple in the face!». The butler suggests: «You must accept it graciously and with kindness and then you could put it on the ring-finger of your right hand». At this point it is believed that Dodi already mentioned to Diana that it is his desire to make a brief stopover in Paris before returning to London.

Diana promised Harry and William, that on Saturday, August 30 she would have returned home. On the phone William even scolded her and told her about his distress, because he did not want his mother in a relationship with Dodi. Apparently the fifteen year old William had been informed that the Al-Fayed family had a dishonest reputation. It seems that Dodi tried to persuade Diana anyway into accepting his next invitation, explaining that his father Mohamed had bought the large yacht, Jonikal, just to let her spend a dream holiday. In his belief, Dodi supposedly asked her this favour.

At this point, even if Diana was unwilling to follow him, she felt obligated to accept the request of her ‘partner’. But it seems that, in reality, Dodi was expected in Paris for personal reasons. During that summer of 1997, entire groups of journalists and paparazzi were travelling day and night with their vehicles, motor homes, boats and helicopters following the footsteps of Princess Diana.

Their reports and photographs were sent in real time to the Press Agencies and newspapers from all around the world. A simple picture or an insignificant news about Diana was worth a big amount of money. In the week before the arrival of the Princess in Paris, every newspaper, radio and TV in the world had announced and illustrated with photographs every single movement of Diana, daily.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 1:50 pm: Diana and Dodi are still on board of the yacht Jonikal, in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, around Olbia. Outdoor, under the warm morning sun, they are sitting on the deck below, enjoying a rich breakfast. Around midday, they head towards the port of the nearby Sardinia island on a motorboat.

They get on a white Mercedes that will take them to the airport Olbia-Costa Smeralda. Later they leave the airport and set off towards Paris with a private airplane owned by Mohamed Al-Flayed, a Gulfstream 4. The modern Jet bears the colours of Harrods. Regarding her arrival in Paris, according to the protocol and the orders received from the Royal House and the British Government, Diana is not obliged to notify any of the authorities Italian, French, English or British Embassy in the city.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 3:20 pm: (Starting from this very moment, for Princess of Wales, Lady Diana Spencer the final countdown begins).

The plane with Diana, Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield on board, lands to the airport Le Bourget of Paris. They are welcomed by Al-Fayed's Ritz Hotel deputy chief of the security: Henry Paul and Dodi's body guard: Philippe Dourneau.

Besides many paparazzi and secret services agents, on the runway there also were a car and some motorcycles of the national French police. The pictures taken by paparazzi that were present at Diana's arrival at Le Bourget, confirm the presence of the French national police, while they were waiting for the Harrods Jet to land. Dodi convinced Diana to refuse the protection offered by the agents of the police of Paris, SPHP. So the couple preferred relying their safety on their own guards, which were part of the Ritz Hotel security.

1997 Saturday August 30, around 3:50 pm: Dodi and Diana, together with two more bodyguards, get on a Mercedes Benz, limousine, armoured, black, series 600, type Sedan, 12-cylinder, 280-S model with darkened windows, license plate: 405 jvj75 (not the Mercedes of the accident).

Philippe Dourneau is driving, besides him there is Trevor Rees-Jones. The other two agents follow them on a green Range Rover, which is also used to carry the luggage and first aid supplies.

Being spied on and stalked by a small yet annoying group of paparazzi, Dodi decides to speed up the ride and not to stop at Ritz, but to proceed directly to Villa Windsor, property of Al-Fayed. Luggage is brought to Dodi's apartment in Rue Arsène-Houssaye, which is right before the Arch of Triumph, next to Avenue des Champs-Elysées. The intention of the couple is to spend the night in this apartment.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:10 pm: The two arrive to one of the residence of the incredibly rich Mohamed Al-Fayed, “Villa Windsor”. This villa is situated in Bois de Boulogne, a green space of nineteenth century inspiration, located in the heart of Paris, in the south-western area of the city. The lush and luxurious mansion consists of 14 sumptuous nineteenth century rooms.

The whole property is surrounded by a spacious green park, covered by many trees. It is a former mansion that belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who moved there in exile in 1953 after being banned from the Royals and the British Government. Diana and Dodi come into this romantic and elegant estate of Al-Fayed and make a brief stop of about ten minutes, then, still accompanied by the increasingly numerous and unpredictable paparazzi, they leave.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:35 pm: The couple arrive at Ritz Hotel in Paris. The 31 CCTV working cameras, the 43 present inside and outside of the Ritz, recorded everything in sequence.

At 4:38 pm Diana walks in front of the columns of the foyer of the Ritz to reach the lift, she is wearing a beige suit with pants. While Dodi turns around to show her the road, Diana's pink silky face opens in a spontaneous smile. Diana calmly crosses the lobby, while Dodi grabs her arm. From inside Ritz lift cabin, it is possible to admire one of the last radiant smiles of Lady Diana with her cheerful look, satisfied and cheeky.

From this moment on, the “smile Princess” will never appear so calm and happy on photo or camera again. The lift will take the couple to the Presidential chamber, located on the first floor of the luxury hotel. Diana's imperial suite bears the number 102 and it is exposed to the charming Place Vendôme (This suite is one of the largest in the Hotel, in 1997 was given to customers for $ 6,000 a night).

Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed, also known as Dodi, son of the multimillionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, supposedly promised Diana that in Paris she would have enjoyed the happiness of a festive ceremony, accompanying the gift of one of the rarest and most famous ring in the world: “Dis Moi Oui”. This gift (among many already given by Dodi) would have been for Diana a last, but joyful event at the end of their Mediterranean cruise.

In Contrast to all this, a sense of irritation will soon replace the attractive charm of Lady Diana. The reason for this spontaneous but obligatory sadness, concerns what will happen after 17:40, in particular after the couple will reach the ground floor at Ritz, and approach a group of business friends of Dodi.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 5:06 pm: Dodi comes down the stairs and together with his bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, exits from the main entrance and heads towards the Italian jeweller Alberto Repossi, whose sumptuous jewellery is situated on Place Vendôme, a few meters from the Ritz (the cameras of the jewellery store recorded everything, although later, after the accident, Trevor Rees-Jones will deny to have been in there on that day). A month earlier, in early August, while being in Montecarlo in a subsidiary of Repossi jewellery store, managed by Alberto's brother, by recommendation of Dodi's father, the couple had chosen a preciously rare and very special ring.

The engagement ring chosen was part of a romantically evocative collection, its name was Dis Moi Oui, that means “Tell me Yes”. «We just need to wrap it well...» Mrs. Angela, wife of Alberto, told Dodi «it will take a couple of minutes». After Alberto Repossi grouped up other precious and beautiful jewellery and after recommending to Dodi to show them to Diana, Dodi said that the “engagement” ring was going to get withdrawn by his subordinate, he took a handful of the jewels and together with Trevor left the store quickly.

1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:30 pm: Claude Roulet, Director of Hotel Ritz, ordered by Dodi, enters the Repossi jewellery, Mrs. Angela Repossi still had the famous “engagement” ring on the finger of her left hand, she took it off and finished the packaging. Then, together with the famous ring for Diana, Roulet also receives other precious jewels selected by Alberto Repossi to show Dodi and Diana, and after that he gets back to the Ritz.

1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:40 pm: From what has been reported by the Ritz staff, we concluded that: “Dodi and Diana are sitting on a luxurious sofa in one of the lounges on the ground floor of the Ritz. They are having a drink, but they are not alone. Gradually they are surrounded by people who show a lot of confidence towards Dodi. Diana is surrounded by some gallant and smiling men, they speak little English and more French language, but not all of them are French, there are also some women.

Diana stays close to Dodi. It seems that some people of the group around the couple are trying to express their desire to spend the evening with Dodi and Diana, but in a place quieter than the Ritz, away from prying eyes. Even if apparently the true reason referred to business and trade negotiations between Dodi and these “gentlemen”, Diana feels their interest might not be only related to work, orders and deliveries of goods. Suddenly Diana becomes reticent, she continuously interrupts the conversation, implying what is not said.

Diana realizes that Dodi had persuaded her and deceived her, mainly in order to be present at that his appointment with other people. Diana also noticed that these alleged “businessmen” were quite persistent with their decisions, they did not give any choice to Dodi and nor even to her, ignoring her royal rank and her notoriety. Despite the rudeness of the group surrounding her, Diana is persuaded, and the meeting place for the so-called business was established for a little later at the Chez Benoît Restaurant, a bistro on the Rue Saint Martin near the Centre Pompidou and the Hotel de Ville.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 7:00 pm: (From now on the countdown for the couple begins, which in the case of Diana's life will stop completely at 2:00 am). Diana and Dodi leave the Ritz from the main entrance, the bodyguards think the objective is to go dining, even though they are not sure about it and they are unaware of the location anyway.

Outside of Ritz, after being overshadowed by a shouting and jostling crowd of autograph seekers and by many onlookers equipped with cameras and video-cameras, as well as the usual paparazzi army, the couple finally manages to get on their Mercedes (not the same Mercedes of the accident, but the one which was used to drive from the airport and throughout that afternoon). Trevor Rees-Jones is driving and next to him there is another agent. A second security vehicle, a Range Rover, is following them, in its driving seat there is bodyguard Kez Wingflield and by his side another agent.

At that moment the four security officers in the two cars have no idea where Dodi wishes to go, and this concerns them and jeopardizes Lady Diana's personal security. Anyway, Dodi's main intention is to take Diana to his private apartment in Rue Arsène-Houssaye, which is situated right before the Triumph Arch, to change his clothes, and later go to dinner with Diana at Chez Benoît Restaurant.

The pressure of the many paparazzi surrounding and constantly chasing the Mercedes with the intention of photographing Diana, plus the traffic jam on Avenue des Champs-Elysées, which stops them continuously, make all passengers very nervous. From this moment on, for Diana and Dodi both, the numerous and cumbersome presence of paparazzi is not welcome anymore.

During that Saturday, August 30, 1997, local radio and TV stations in Paris have broadcast images of the Princess' recent arrival in the capital all day long. All newspapers of Paris, especially the breaking news of Saturday afternoon, reported with capital letters that Diana was in Paris. The Princess was on everyone's lips.

That afternoon, the entire road traffic on Avenue des Champs-Elysées was jammed by an enormous crowd of onlookers. Several radio stations, television channels and a multitude of photographers and paparazzi were constantly busy taking pictures of the Princess while she was in the Mercedes with her companion Dodi Al-Fayed.

1997 Saturday, 30 August 7:10 pm: The deputy head of security Henri Paul, disappears from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm for a break. Perhaps he has simply gone to dinner? “Apart from this book, no other media will ever precisely clarify, where Henri Paul went and what he did” in those three hours.

On the front pages of almost all newspapers and several radio and TV programs, and on the French local newscast, regional and national, it is announced: «Today Princess Diana is in Paris, staying at the Grand Hotel Ritz». As a consequence Place Vendôme is packed with hundreds of people that have joined the paparazzi army. Even at the rear entrance of Ritz, on Rue Cambon, there are paparazzi lurking.

1997 Saturday, August 30, around 7:35 pm: Upon the couple's arrival on Rue Arsène-Houssaye, a further experience awaits them. A mob of onlookers and paparazzi are waiting for them right outside the door of Dodi's apartment. The Mercedes carrying Diana tries to get closer to the main entrance. Apart from the same security agents who travelled with Dodi and Diana, there seems not to be other security men waiting for them, to assist them or to find them a way through the crowd, or a corridor to the entrance.

After parking the vehicle, Trevor Rees-Jones opens the rear door of the Mercedes, Diana gets out, and she has just the time to touch the ground and get up on her own feet, then she is immediately pressed between the mass of people, which touches her and pushes her from every direction.

Suddenly, a photographer emerges out of the agitated mob pushing his way through it, he audaciously rushes towards Diana and Dodi to take pictures of the couple. Some witnesses will later say that it was the paparazzi Romuald Rat, a 25 year old of a bulky and strong build. The two finally manage to enter Dodi's apartment, where they will stay until 9:35 pm.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 9:35 pm: For the couple it is time to dine at Chez Benoît Restaurant, as previously established by the appointment taken that same afternoon at Ritz. They exit the apartment on Rue Arsène-Houssaye and take sit in that same Mercedes that picked them up from the Bourget airport earlier that day. Dodi tells his driver Trevor Rees-Jones, and another bodyguard sitting next to him, to leave in a hurry, but he does not reveal them accurately where he would like to be taken, even the bodyguard Kez Wingfield and the other security agent accompanying them on a second vehicle are aware of it.

The Mercedes dives into the crowd anyway, around Diana's vehicle, again, there is a buzz of pedestrians, cars, motorcycles and scooters chasing them, honking and constantly approaching the car, slamming their hands on the body and on the glasses, taking pictures, shouting the name of Diana and whatnot. Also along the edges of the secondary roads there are groups of people observing this long and noisy parade.

All of a sudden Dodi tells Trevor to go on Avenue des Champs-Elysées. Over here the congestion is even bigger, the Mercedes is surrounded by many curious and it is barely able to move forward. However, Dodi calls the Ritz and orders his utmost faithful employee: Claude Roulet, manager of Hotel Ritz, to notify the Chez Benoît so that they can arrange a welcome with all the honours, fit for the Princess of Wales. Dodi also asks the manager Roulet to call Henry Paul and to reach him immediately.

After ending the call, Dodi refers Trevor to go to Chez Benoît Restaurant, the bistro on Rue Saint Martin. Shortly after, while the Mercedes is still going, with all the traffic problems caused by the screaming crowd around the vehicle, Dodi, taken by surprise by an angry panic attack, seems to want to suddenly change his mind. The situation is completely out of control.

The mob overcrowding the street scream and clap their hands on the roof and the windows of the Mercedes. The car is constantly blocked by pedestrians, by other cars, by onlookers and by paparazzi. Despite the many reversals driving, the Mercedes does not get anywhere.

The chasing by paparazzi with their cars and motorbikes is becoming more and more obstinate and unbearable; therefore, at some point, considering the continuous insistence and strong complaint of Diana, Dodi decides to cancel everything and to go back to the Ritz. The appointment falls through, they will have dinner at Espadon, the luxurious restaurant inside the Ritz.

1997 Saturday, August 30, around 9:45 pm: Some journalists have confirmed the following: «François Tendil, the man in charge of the evening and night security at the Ritz, contacted Henri Paul, who was off duty that night, and asked him to return immediately to the Ritz to join the team of security agents. The reason: Because of the multitude and the aggressiveness of paparazzi and onlookers that hinder every move of the couple, the four bodyguards have difficulty in protecting Princess Diana».

1997 Saturday, August 30, 9:50 pm: In the meantime Diana and Dodi approach the main entrance of Ritz with their car. And even there, the entrance is packed with paparazzi and people who want to touch Diana.

Besides the doorman (piccolò) and François Tendil, the guy in charge of the night security, there is no other agent to welcome and protect the couple escaping from the assault of the crowd. As soon as they get out of the Mercedes, two photographers appear and suddenly rush to Diana, physically sticking to her, annoying, pushing and bothering her, pestering her with their continuous flashes and filming. The situation is way out of control to be able to protect Diana's security, it is a total dangerous chaos. At this point, Dodi snaps in his anger rushing towards the two photographers, pushing them and making them get away from Diana; then, turning to François Tendil he shouts in French: «What are you doing? Not like this, this is shit!».

Then later, Dodi addresses to another bodyguard, Kez Wingfield, who was in the Range Rover driving behind the Mercedes, and, shouting, he scolds him publicly asking: «Why did you not go in front of my Mercedes to clear the passage and to free the way from other vehicles, from the crowds and the sticky paparazzi?»

In fact, Dodi reproaches him for not going ahead, on patrol at the crossroads to clear out the streets, so to identify and prepare the most appropriate areas or lanes that would have permitted the Mercedes to pass freely. «Between saying and doing...» Said Kez Wingfield «None of us agents knew where Dodi intended to go; he was constantly changing direction; we only had the Range Rover to support the Mercedes. There were no other security agents, we were too few».

It was obvious that young Kez Wingfield was very demoralized by the rebuke given by Dodi in front of everyone.

THE RETURN TO THE RITZ HOTEL

Watching the movie that has been broadcast all around the world, filmed by the hotel cameras as they were passing through the revolving door of the main entrance of Ritz, you can respectively glimpse: Dodi, then Diana and finally Trevor Rees-Jones. A sense of distress and irritation is clearly visible on Diana's face, she is annoyed by that Parisian afternoon that she did not even want. They have done all that just to get back to the starting point. Diana does not feel safe with the security service arranged by the young and rich Arabic emir.

Diana probably thought to herself that the protection service was nothing compared to the great safety she could have been provided with the numerous officers of the Parisian police. The Parisian police would have accompanied Diana everywhere and with everyone she would have desired, in the same way they would have acted with Heads of State and Diplomatic Corps.

Diana would have had squadron of armoured cars with several national security agents, policemen and army personnel; these would have initially blocked all intersections of the roads to be crossed with armoured cars, and they would have formed a wall of armed men and armoured vehicles to ensure maximum protection to Diana, both inside and outside of her accommodation. With the police by her side nobody, neither paparazzi nor onlookers would have dared to approach the Princess if she would not have explicitly required.

In reality, the Lady believed and hoped that the Fayeds could offer her enough protection beside wealth, and not only temporarily, but everlasting. The playboy Dodi Al-Fayed, instead, was a young and rich spendthrift, a half junkie with a chaotic temper who loved and practised frivolous and shameless nightlife; therefore he would have not been up to fulfil eventual or controversial tantrums of the Princess. Furthermore Dodi was surrounded by “so called friends” of the late night, dangerous people without any morality or compassion, rich spoiled people wickedly uncontrollable, every wishes of theirs was fulfilled by Dodi.

So Diana found herself in the middle of bad company, she was not even protected morally. Several members of the Ritz personnel stated: «Some of Dodi's alleged business friends were playful, ruthless and without conscience. It is also likely that Diana sensed that they wished to have sex with her, maybe with drugs involved, and that Dodi would have not had any chances nor power to deny and to protect her, so that it would not happen».

Diana was aware of the possible danger, she would have never approved of this sort of free lust and she would absolutely not allow it to happen. From this moment her only goal was to have dinner at the hotel and to go to sleep, fleeing to her luxury suite n° 102, to never get out from Ritz until the day after to leave for London.

Diana was sadly wrong, within two hours unimaginable and uncontrollable things would have happened, strange and ghostly events. The Lady will not even notice of falling into a deadly trap, everything will happen like in a horror demonic thriller bringing only cruelty, pain and violent death.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 9:53 pm: Diana and Dodi are bout to enter in the spacious and elegant lobby of the Ritz. The space of the restaurant is packed full with people, there is not a single table available. Even if Dodi is the owner's son and despite the fact that Diana is the most famous woman in the world, according to what the French maître and the Hotel Ritz Director, Franck Klein, aka Mohamed Al-Fayed's right arm in France, are thinking there is no choice: «If you are not happy to eat standing up or at the bar, you will have to find a different place to eat dinner» (it seemed that Dodi did not have much control in this his hotel). Luckily, a table for the pair was quickly arranged.

Diana goes to one of the many luxurious toilets to rearrange her hair and make up, then she sits on the comfortable chair of her table, in the middle of the bustling and noisy Espadon restaurant. With her eyes looking down, Diana tries to unwind in her own silence.

Between a peek and the other, among the curious customers there are also some children. Sat down right there all alone, Diana shows a terrific body appearence, tanned by the Italian sun, but also very tired and hiding an emotion revealed only by her blue eyes, wet with small tears, drops that are struggling to get out.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:00 pm: The Mercedes with darkened windows that was used to pick up the couple from the airport of Paris and to drive them around the capital in that crowded afternoon, is now parked in front of the main entrance of the Ritz.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:08 pm: In a video recorded by the surveillance camera of the main entrance, you can see Henri Paul (deputy chief of the security) while he was parking his Austin. He is back to work and enters the Ritz. After briefly joining his colleagues (security guards) located on the ground floor at the “Vendôme” bar of the Ritz, Paul reaches Dodi.

In fact, that day Henri Paul should have had a night off. According to our investigators, the reason for which Paul has returned to work is not just to give support to the team of bodyguards, in order to avoid the same pressure that evolved in the presence of the numerous paparazzi and onlookers that afternoon, but it is for the need to report Dodi a vital message regarding the Princess. The recordings from the cameras of the Hotel Ritz show Henri Paul very peaceful, sober and smiling. His steps, his moves and his appearence seem quite normal.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:10 pm: Dodi asks Diana what she would like to eat, however, after placing their order, it becomes noticeable that the eyes of the other customers are fixed upon the couple, and especially upon Diana. She feels embarrassed by those elusive glances of dark nature.

Suddenly Diana expresses Dodi the wish of wanting to retreat in her own room, to have a bit of privacy. Dinner will then be served in their own Imperial suite number 102 of the luxurious Ritz Hotel.

HENRI PAUL'S INFORMATION AND THE TELEPHONE

CALLS THAT CAUSED CONCERN TO DODI

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:20 pm: Henri Paul approaches Dodi in one of the rooms of suite 102 and, confidentially, reveals to him, face-to-face, a piece of news which will disrupt him. Being very formal, Paul refers Dodi to have been contacted by a character, or one of his representatives, however, this person is a very influential man that in this book we will sometimes call: “The French Puppet Master/Collaborator”, his real name is Jean-Pierre Chevènement, and he was the Interior Minister at the time.

Paul's words are: «This afternoon you rejected our welcome and the presidential security vehicles prepared by French Authorities for the Princess of Wales. Furthermore, you have been repeatedly informed about the agreement set in the past between French Authorities and your father. Parisian Authorities have been disappointed and strongly affected by your denial. Although, even if they nourish a bit of resentment as well as displeasure, they have decided to give you another favourable chance».

Paul adds: “Chevènement's exact words were: «Therefore, in order to prevent something bad from happening to someone, we wisely advise you not to dare to come out from the Ritz Hotel with the Princess and to not use your vehicle with your security guards. If you wish to take Lady Diana somewhere in Paris, you need to ask for our vehicles and our security agents at our Parisian Authorities. We will richly provide you all of our support”.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:40 pm: It is the night of a beautiful and warm day in late summer, we are in a fairly quiet and deserted Paris. The Eiffel Tower entirely lit up rises above the Napoleonic city, and with its 324 meters of height it looks like a massive diamond. Restaurants, bars and bistros are open, shops and their windows spread the light.

There are few vehicles circulating on the roads and a low amount of pedestrians, many Parisians are out of town for the holidays. As opposed to that, outside the main entrance of the Ritz Grand Hotel, overlooking the elegant and vast Place Vendôme, there is a lot people and a bustle of cars, motorcycles, photojournalists, onlookers and many tourists armed with cameras and video-cameras. Everyone is hoping for the Princess to appear at the windowsill, to see her, admire and photograph her.

Dodi and Diana are dining on the first floor of the majestic Imperial Suite of the Ritz, one of the most attractive hotels in the world.

They are both unaware that this it will be the last night of their life, the final dinner of their existence. According to wire-tapping and bugs that were placed in their suite and based on reports from eyewitnesses (the staff of the Ritz), journalists have established what follows: «Between a word and the other with Diana, Dodi makes and receives several phone calls, even from his father».

During the first phone call that he receives, someone announces a first message to him. The minute in which Dodi is aware of this message, his attitude changes, he feels disturbed and very concerned. During the second phone calls he gets, someone is talking about an appointment for that same night. Dodi answers to his interlocutor with an uneasy tone: «Let's talk about it face to face in a quiet place».

Did the content of these phone calls have something to do with the message just received by Henry Paul? Did Dodi have to negotiate an important deal, planned for a long time? Or maybe he had to meet with the same people that were waiting for him at Chez Benoît Restaurant, the bistro on Rue Saint Martin, earlier that afternoon? As we shall see following, the topics of these calls are one of the main keys to the solution of the case on the death of Princess Diana Spencer.

WHERE DID THE COUPLE WANT TO GO AT MIDNIGHT?

In an attempt to answer this question and to give a sense to the rest of the events, many journalists-investigators stated and wrote the following, but incomplete, piece of news: «That Saturday night, at the beginning of the first hour of Sunday, August 31, 1997 the couple left the Ritz because Dodi, for work reasons (a big business), was expected at a specific location and they could get there on their own initiative, using a Hotel service car».

Surely the given address referred to the building of the “Residence Passy Kennedy”, in the XVI Arrondissement of Paris. This Palace, built in the '80s is located on Maison de la Radio, on the Avenue du Prèsident-Kennedy, which extends from the Avenue de New-York along the Seine after the Place de l'Alma. This is also the home of a major consultation agency, which has big companies of the defence industry as clients, such as GIAT Industries, Matra and Thalès.

Other journalists, however, asserted that at 12:20 am the couple walked out of the back of the Ritz promising and making paparazzi believe that, upon request and need of Diana, they would head to Dodi's house first. Many have said that in reality things went simply like this: at 12:20 am the couple stepped out of the back of the Ritz, which is located on Rue Cambon, entered the Mercedes and set off towards the house of Dodi, who is in Rue Arsène-Houssaye near the Arc of Triumph.

They would have wanted to spend the entire night in Al-Fayed apartment and the day after Diana would have left for London. However, according to the investigations of our experts, excluding some details, there is little truth in which was stated above. Anyway, almost all journalists said that the path related to the dynamic of the accident involved the following: from Rue Cambon the Mercedes drove towards Champs Elyseès. While Diana's vehicle stopped in front of the traffic light at Place de la Concorde, Dodi noticed an exaggerated fanaticism and a lot of disturbance by paparazzi pursuers towards the Princess that was on board, and he ordered his driver to leave immediately despite the red light.

Driver Henri Paul, attempted to quickly cross the crowded Place de la Concorde to later turn right and drive towards Champs Elyseès, but it was not possible due to the much traffic (others affirmed that the road was closed) so he chose the straight path ahead of him, the one along the Seine, a two-lanes road. For the Mercedes carrying Diana the malfunctioning brakes, the very high speed and the sudden hard braking under the tunnel were the fatal mix of ingredients which caused the onset of the most dramatic and fatal princely event of the twentieth century.

Where did Dodi and Diana want to go at midnight? The only real answer to this question lies within the following: After Henri Paul gave him the shocking news at 10:20 pm, Dodi began to receive phone calls. A first and a second time Dodi answered to his questioner saying: «We will talk about it later, in a quieter place». Immediately after, Dodi called his father Mohamed Al-Fayed in London.

Al-Fayed senior never wanted to reveal to reporters what his son told him and what was the content of the first telephone message received by Dodi at about 10:40 pm, however this is what he claimed to have told him: «You must absolutely not leave the Ritz, stay there tonight, do not go out... But he never listened».

It was obvious that during all these calls: «Dodi was very upset and barely managed to control his movements and his voice. He even tried to hide the subject of his phone conversations to Diana».

1997 Saturday, August 30, 10:45 pm: Some employees of the Ritz reported the following piece of news: «Shortly after Dodi's phone calls, Diana understood very well both the content of those phone messages and the news that Dodi received from Henri Paul at 10:20 pm. Consequently a state of restlessness and anxiety got hold of her. The Princess quickly realized she had fallen in a serious mess. Overwhelmed by the fear of a potential danger, full of concern but with strong persistence and determination, Diana became decidedly stubborn in wanting to leave immediately for London».

YES, DIANA DEMANDED TO GO BACK TO LONDON

Dodi had no choice. The private jet of Al-Fayed, the Gulfstream 4, was still in Paris, at the airport Le Bourget, the only thing needed was to alert the pilot to be ready for take-off. Presumably, Dodi was the person who phone called the pilot. It was necessary to reach the airport as soon as possible, but in complete secret and without revealing the real destination to anyone.

Dodi called François Tendil, security agent at the Ritz, on the phone telling him to bring Henri Paul, Trevor Rees-Jones e Kez Wingfield to him. Dodi then revealed to the four his plan on how to get out of the Ritz anonymously. YES, Diana had instantly forced Dodi to bring her back to London that night, it was an undeniable and very strict order. Apart from obeying, Dodi did not have any choice.

Therefore, Dodi and the four security agents decided to put in place the following deception, called “the trick of the two cars”:

a) The black Mercedes with darkened windows, the same car used to drive the couple around Paris that afternoon, was parked outside of the main entrance of the Ritz, in Place Vendôme. This was going to be used as a deceiving car driven by its habitual driver, Philippe Dourneau. A camouflaged couple with the appearance of Diana and Dodi was going to get on this car, and they were going to leave together with the Range Rover, driven by Kez Wingfield, backing them up.

b) Another Mercedes (very similar, but sadly with transparent windows), that was going to be parked in Rue Cambon, close to the secondary exit at the back of the Ritz, was going to be used for the secret escape. This latter car would carry the real Diana and Dodi.

The three vehicles would have to leave as one. The Mercedes carrying the true Diana and Dodi was then going to drive on the road along the Seine in the direction of the airport, while, from the main entrance of the Ritz, the other Mercedes and the Range Rover were going to go towards Dodi's apartment on Rue Arsene-Houssaye, near the Arc of Triumph, to pick up Diana's luggage and to take it to the airport Le Bourget.

In fact, the trick was in the intention of deceiving the paparazzi, reporters and onlookers making them believe that Diana and Dodi would have entered the Mercedes parked outside the main entrance. In reality it was clearly visible on the videos recorded by cameras at the Ritz (even if the images are dark) that those who got on this Mercedes were different people camouflaged, including a blonde woman.

To make things clear, this decoy Mercedes was going to take the following path: it was going to depart from Ritz, to cross Place Vendôme, towards Rue Saint Honoré and arrive at Rue de Rivoli, then it was going to turn left in the direction of Place de la Concorde, to turn right on Avenue des Champs-Elysèes in the direction of the Arc of Triumph, and finally it was going to go straight until it reached its destination, Dodi's apartment, which is located on Rue Arsene-Houssaye, on the right just before the Arc of Triumph.

On the ground floor at the back of the Ritz there is a door, this is a secondary exit that leads to the dark road of Rue Cambon. After midnight Dodi and Diana together with bodyguards: Henri Paul e Trevor Rees-Jones would exit that door. Both cars, the Mercedes carrying the real Diana and the decoy that was parked in front of the main entrance of the Ritz, were going to leave simultaneously.

The plan was very simple: the paparazzi, that were waiting for the couple to get on the Mercedes located in front of the Ritz, would follow this car instead of the one that was parked in the back. The path that the couple would follow on board of the new Mercedes with clear windows, was not going to be the same one of the Mercedes parked in front of the main entrance of the Ritz.

According to the escape plan, hoping that the two vehicles would not come across each other, the actual path of the Mercedes carrying the real Diana and Dodi was going to be the following: to start from Rue Cambon, to cross Rue Saint Honorè, to arrive at Rue de Rivoli, then on Rue Royale to turn left towards Place de la Concorde, to go straight at the traffic lights and then to turn slightly on the left to take the road Along the Seine (La Seine) on Cours la Reine, adjacent Cours Albert 1er, then to pass the Alma tunnel and to continue on the Avenue de New York and the Avenue du Prèsident Kennedy, and next to enter the Avenue de Versaille in order to reach the entrance of the Périphérique (Périph') of Porte de St-Cloud (the ring road outside the city). At this point on the highway it was going to take the left towards Quai d’Issy and Port d’Ivry up to Port de la Villette. To later exit the Périphérique and merge on Avenue J. Jaurès driving up to Le Bourget airport.

1997 Saturday, August 30, 11:00 pm: Henri Paul calls Etoile Limousine Park to order another Mercedes dark and armoured, this car has to be delivered immediately and to be parked on the street on Rue Cambon, which is located on the back of the Hotel. However, Dodi and Henri Paul certainly make the following huge mistake: they should have not chosen a Mercedes identical to the car they used that afternoon; it would have been better to use a different model, with tinted windows in any case, not to drag any attention to themselves. Not taking into account this important detail, they order a black Mercedes, the same colour of the decoy car that was parked outside the main entrance of the Ritz (identical to the one they used that afternoon with plate: 405 JVJ75).

Furthermore, this backup Mercedes Limousine, with clear windows, was rented many times by the Hotel Ritz and it is the same car that was stolen to a driver several months before. After it was recovered, it was placed for a time in the Parisian parking lot (garage) of Saint-Ouen, at the moment of the call the car had already been in the Etoile Limousine Park of Paris for two months. The deadly car of the crash is therefore a Mercedes Benz, Limousine, 600 series, type Sedan, 12 cylinders, model S-280, colour black, armoured, with clear windows and the plate: 688 LTV 75 (Henri Paul had never driven it).

1997 Saturday, August 30, 11:42 pm: Until 12:06 am Henri Paul showed up many times on the apron of the main entrance of the Ritz, to have a conversation with the many paparazzi that were there. Regardless of all the rumours written by books and gossip magazines about: “What Henri Paul said and revealed to the photographers?” According to the plan of Dodi, Henri simply tried to mislead the paparazzi, telling them: «The Princess will soon exit from the main entrance of the Ritz, so when she will show up, I ask everyone present here not to be too intrusive».

Examining the existing footage of those minutes, and observing Henri Paul's lip-reading, or which consonants he expressed with the movement of his lips, it seems clear that he also expressed the following to the paparazzi: «When we leave I am willing to challenge you in a race, me and this Mercedes which is outside the entrance of the Ritz.».

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:10 and 13 seconds am: In a video shot inside the cabin of the elevator at Ritz, we can see Diana and Dodi in the background, they are smiling but they do not seem relaxed. The very last radiant smile of Lady Diana can be admired in that film, with her cheerful gaze, maybe a bit forced, but overall satisfied. After having dinner and passing the night in the luxurious Presidential Suite number 102, the lift is now going down from the first floor to the ground floor bringing the couple in the Hotel lobby.

Diana's outfit is the same one she wore that afternoon from 17:40. Together with the couple there are also the two bodyguards, Trevor Rees-Jones and Henri Paul, he will be the driver of the backup Mercedes.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:11 and 00 seconds am: We are on the ground floor in the rear wing of the lobby of the Hotel, in the next 14 minutes the worst road chaos of the XX century will happen at the detriment of Diana. Dodi and Diana have reached the workstation of François Tendil, jointly with the two security guards: Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield. Henri Paul is at the beginning of the hallway in the back and he is waiting for the couple to arrive. The twosome pass in front of Henri Paul and heads towards the corridor that leads to the back of the Hotel.

It seems that all of a sudden something alarming happens, the agent Trevor appears to detect someone who allegedly touched Diana while she was walking for a moment alone.

Trevor is the only one who has noticed it, he suddenly stops and seeks cover behind an opening in the right wall, which is located between the lobby and the hallway. His gaze remains sharp, without losing sight of Diana for a moment. He puts his left hand on his gun, which he carries inside the holster around the waist of his pants (it is a .38), then he realizes that it is a false alarm and, without saying a word, continues approaching the couple that is about to reach the small and narrow corridor. At the end of it there is a small door, this is one of the secondary exits in the back of the building and leads directly to Rue Cambon. Their new Mercedes is parked on this small street and it will be used as vehicle to avoid the many paparazzi eager to photograph the Princess, located in front of the main entrance of the Ritz.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:11 and 53 seconds am : the very last videos from Hotel Ritz are silent, but the movements of the performers on the run appear to want to tell us something, their tension is very high revealing their thoughts and fears. Before exiting from the last door, Dodi and Diana are clinging to each other. Observing this behaviour from a psychological point of view, this type of hug, keeping the fingers of one's hand tight between the fingers of the hand of another person, with one's arm on the lower part of the back, is a tangible sign that the individual, Diana in this case, is unsure of herself, she is not at ease and asks for support and protection, she is anxious, has a great fear and apprehension.

We are unsure of what exactly she was thinking in that precise moment to have led her to that gesture, but one thing is sure, Diana was experiencing a combination of agitation, anxiety and concerns about a possible danger and the worry that something extremely serious could be happening to her. Now the couple is down the hallway, a few meters away from the secondary exit of the Ritz, there are neither armchairs nor benches to sit on, there is only the door that faces the narrow, gloomy and dark street of Rue Cambon.

To the left of this dim corridor there are some windows of one of the many shops of the Ritz, instinctively, Diana does not lose the opportunity to check her silhouette, outlined by her suit, reflected on the glass of the light up window.

Besides Henri Paul there is also Trevor Reese-Jones, often focused on looking at his watch. Henri Paul explains to Diana and Dodi on which side and spot of the side-walk the Mercedes is parked and makes clear how to reach it, after that he will give the couple the green light by inviting them to come out and will show his assistance by preceding them. As expected, Kez Wingfield and Philippe Dourneau are now in their respective vehicles at the front entrance of the Ritz, ready to leave at the exact previously agreed time.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:15 and 50 seconds am: Henri Paul leaves the Ritz through the service door which is in the back, goes on the side walk of the Rue Cambon, checks the road and sees three men, probably some photographers stationed on the other side of the street, he nods at them, raising his right hand, or, anyway, he performs some kind of greeting. “Many journalists have asserted that with that act Henri Paul wanted to give to the three a kind of signal to start an activity plan, previously concurred”.

According to other reporters Henri Paul's behaviour is very suspicious, some private investigators and media have connected Henri Paul's gesture to some kind of “sign of agreement”, associating it with the fact that he had sold information about the strategy the couple would have used that night on board of the Mercedes.

In reality, Henri Paul got out of the back of the Ritz simply to verify where, on Rue Cambon, was the backup Mercedes parked, the car he had requested an hour before (this is the vehicle which will be used in a few minutes for the escape plan programmed by Dodi and the man in charge of the security at the Ritz, François Tendil). The three individuals that Henri Paul greeted remotely raising his right arm, could simply have been some paparazzi or maybe some people that he knew.

These three may as well have been the two employees of the Park Etoile Limousine that delivered the keys of the car ordered to them, to a servant of the Ritz, and maybe they were waiting for a verification by Henri Paul.

Let us consider, however, that the information of the presence of a second Mercedes on Rue Cambon was known both to some of the Ritz staff and to the employees of Park Etoile Limousine. As we will see below, there are tangible elements that demonstrate the complete absence of a betrayal by Henri Paul against the famous couple. Contrary to this, Mohamed Al-Fayed claimed that Henri Paul that night betrayed his son by allying and cooperating with the French and British intelligence services.

FROM THIS MOMENT ON FOR THE FLEEING PASSENGERS

BEGINS A 5 MINUTES COUNTDOWN

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:19 and 50 seconds am: After a total of about 10 minutes waiting in the hallway in the back, the two CCTV surveillance cameras of the Ritz, filmed the last images of the Princess still alive, while exiting in silence from the small secondary door of the luxurious hotel. It is a warm late summer evening, particularly sultry, but not gloomy at all. At the flash of the few photographers hidden there, Diana appears with a casual outfit of a rather sporty cut, a well-worn black blazer, white stretch pants, long but summery and Versace pump shoes with medium-low heel.

She is not carrying anything, not a handbag and nor even a mobile phone, it seems that she might have dressed like that, purposely lightweight and sporty, to give the impression she was not undertaking a long journey, or to cover the eventuality of having to rush or to run away on foot, in case an emergency would have happened. She is certainly not going on a super stylish illuminated runway with a crimson red carpet, where all the superstars of the globe parade, and there are absolutely no macho bodyguards or crowds of photojournalists with cameras and TV broadcasting worldwide from behind the barriers.

Diana comes out in an absolute silence of a cold and dark vibe, the atmosphere brings shivers as in a thriller film that causes high tension and great fear. The Princess is dressed like one of the many simple girls next-door, white summery trousers, tight on her slim legs that enhance her fast walk in the darkness of this dreary road she is using to flee in secret.

Just out of the hotel, the couple is now preceded by Henri Paul walking on the side-walk that borders the back of the Ritz. Instantly, the flashes of the few photojournalists sputter continuously their blazing lights, it seems to hear a continuous loud noise, a crackle of fireworks and a loud rustling, like the sudden fall of hail stones of disproportionate size. They're about to reach the Mercedes parked a few ten meters away on the right central side of the road Rue Cambon, next to the same side-walk bordering the hotel. One in front of each other there is Henri Paul, then Diana and, right after, Dodi followed by the second bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones.

A few meters after exiting the back door of the hotel, with a faster pace, Trevor Rees-Jones passes Dodi and reaches Diana while she is walking alone, then he holds on tight to her as a way to protect her. The group arrived at the Mercedes that awaits them, the engine is running, the car is ready in the middle of the road. An employee of the hotel opens the doors. Observing the vehicle, Henri Paul turns to the attendant and, with a warning tone, he asks him: «Why aren't the windows darkened, couldn't you bring a different car?». Then, turning to the paparazzi standing there, almost smiling, he shouts: «Are you ready? You are not going to get me!».

However, the four passengers quickly take seat in the new vehicle. Trevor Rees-Jones keeps the rear door on the left open for the Princess and helps her sit, Diana gets in the car without taking her blazer off, Dodi enters through the same door, sitting to the left next to Diana. Behind the wheel, it's Henri Paul, beside him Trevor Rees-Jones.

Dodi receives another phone call as soon as he gets in the vehicle. Henri Paul puts the Mercedes in gear and leaves quickly, they are chased by many motorcycles and cars driven by photographers, other people and onlookers, that did not fell for the trick of the two Mercedes.

The reason for which some photographers were also present on the dark street of Rue Cambon at the back of the Ritz is due to the fact that:

1) Paparazzi are well organized.

2) That night the paparazzi present there are numerous because somebody alerted them.

3) The paparazzi have assistants and with them they have surrounded the Ritz Hotel structure.

4) The paparazzi communicate with each other rapidly through mobile phones and long range walkie-talkies.

5) There are printing services, such as the one of James Andanson and Guy Croussy, which inform about all the movements and the appearence of VIPs. External agents, working for the journalists of these services, are guys who use motorcycles and scooters. They are many, young, cheap and they have the cellphone numbers of all photojournalists registered with the agencies of their printing service, all that it takes is to send a single information message, SMS or text to reach them all in just one second.

6) Like the secret services, also the most obstinate paparazzi have a tiny bug-radar device, easily applicable to the vehicle they have decided to stalk or intercept. The waves emitted by the device are reflected at a specific frequency to a central body, the waves then return to the receiver that automatically compares the visual field between the emission frequency and the one received. The transmitter can then trace the location of the trajectory while the vehicle is in motion, follow its movements or identify the shape, the position and the area in which it is situated at that moment.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12.20 am: The Mercedes with the foursome, Diana, Dodi and their two bodyguards, moves away at full speed. A few paparazzi immediately take some pictures. Some witnesses said: «the Mercedes was chased by a single car and two motorcycles». But this information results to be fake, in reality the chase was done by an entire procession formed by a dozen motorcycles and cars. In contrast to what someone asserted, during the whole ride Trevor Reese-Jones never buckled up his seat-belt.

The Mercedes of the couple is now stopped in front of the red traffic light of Place de la Concorde. From inside the vehicle Diana, a bit frightened, looks all around her. On of the paparazzi will later say: «It seemed that, among the chasers, the Princess identified someone she knew very well because she turned to Dodi pointing towards the outside of the window». Seeing that, despite the traffic light still being red, Dodi orders to his driver to leave immediately.

From this moment on, until reaching the Alma Tunnel, the speed of the Mercedes will increase considerably. Some have stated that a top speed of 150 to 180 km per hour has to not be excluded. It is very dangerous to cross the big and crowded roadway of Place de la Concorde, it intersects with other stop lights connected with dozens of longitudinal lanes. A French journalist has confirmed that, according with the data registered by a speed camera located about 400 meters before the entrance of the Alma Tunnel, Diana's Mercedes was travelling at 196 km per hour. Along that section of the Along Seine the maximum allowed speed is 50 km per hour. However, the Mercedes was able to break away from the parade of paparazzi.

1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:22 am: Right before entering the tunnel of death, the Eiffel Tower, all light up, is the last panoramic view that the couple is able to admire in the night sky of Paris.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 56 seconds am: The motorcyclist Eric Pètel (one of the eye witnesses) is overtaken by Diana's Mercedes, shortly before it entered the Alma Tunnel.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 57 seconds am: A white Fiat Uno, from the right roadway parallel to Rue J. Goujon, is about to enter the Along Seine on at full speed, to later come across with Diana's Mercedes. The Fiat has a broken exhaust and emits a high pitch and crackling noise, like the stuttering of powerful rounds of gunfire.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 58 seconds am: From this moment, the sudden entrance of the Fiat combined with its deafening noise, catches Henri Paul by surprise, alarming him. In an attempt to avoid the impact on the right side, The Mercedes deviates quickly to the left and starts drifting. The driver Henri Paul is unable to slow down his vehicle or to control its direction and continues his ultra-high-speed race zigzagging.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 59 seconds am: François Levistre (one of the eye witnesses) sees Diana's Mercedes skidding, from the rear-view mirror of his grey Ford Ka. To better see what is happening, he immediately parks his car at the end of the tunnel on the right, but he does not get out of his vehicle.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 am: The Mercedes enters the tunnel. Right now, immediately after having swiped along the pillar No. 3, the Mercedes with Diana on board crashes fatally against the pillar No. 13 of the Alma Tunnel.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 and 2 seconds am: Every vehicle that was inside the tunnel during the dash and the crash, gets out of it, including the white Fiat Uno. Later, through various testimonies it will be identified that this Fiat belongs to Le Van Thanh.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 00:24 and 3 seconds: In the lit and silent darkness of the tunnel, a strange atmosphere reigns. The Mercedes is alone, placed sideways facing the opposite driving direction, it is almost at the centre of the roadway, but closer to the right side of the wall and with the left wheel on the side-walk. Its nose is quite crumpled and the engine is smoking. On the ground there are patches of oil and water, but very little petrol. Both headlights are still on and the muffler, still attached, is hanging to the ground. The horn is still on and it owls uninterruptedly.

1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 and 15 seconds or so am: After entering the tunnel with his motorcycle, Eric Pètel approaches the recently crashed Mercedes. After looking inside (without opening the doors) and after seeing the four victims, he immediately hops on the saddle of his motorcycle and exits the tunnel to alert the police from a phone booth that is located right above the tunnel.

1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:25 am: Also François Levistre leaves the tunnel with his Ford Ka.

1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:25 and 30 seconds or so am: To the sight of the Mercedes, smoking and howling, in the middle of the road, other vehicles, and the motorized procession of photojournalists behind them, stopped at the entrance to the tunnel, blocking the entry of both lanes. The first photojournalist that got closer (on foot) to the damaged Mercedes is named Serge Arnal. The second is the photographer Romuald Rat, followed by his colleague Christian Martinez.

1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:26 am: A vehicle stops on the opposite lane of the tunnel, it is Dr. Frèdèric Maillez, who was there by chance. He approaches the Mercedes and returns to his car, right after, to take an oxygen mask. In the meantime he calls for medical aid. Having returned to the victims, he assists the Princess right away. Diana is alive, she talks, but has an internal haemorrhage in the lungs.