Even the craziest conspiracy theorist should be convinced by “The Day Diana Died” that it was an accident. Christopher Andersen’s book makes it clear driver Henri Paul was drunk on pastis and other liquors, taking medicines that would increase the effects of alcohol and emotionally upset because of family trouble, even suicidal. Dodi Fayed was notorious for ordering drivers to go faster and faster. The black Mercedes zoomed into the Paris tunnel at 95 miles an hour. At the entrance there’s a dip, the car would have been momentarily airborne and Paul confused. Only the bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones wore a seat belt. The Mercedes hit a pylon, ricocheted off and slammed into the opposite wall.
Passers-by stopped their cars and rushed to help the people in the crumpled wreck. They tried to help the blonde woman not knowing who she was. Ambulancemen arrived and did their best for the four people in the car. The paparazzi snapped away, but allowed the rescuers room to work. Princess Diana was driven to hospital at a strangely slow speed. The ambulance took 40 minutes to make it to the hospital when it should have taken seven. The surgeons found Diana largely unmarked, but inside her organs had ruptured. They worked on her for two hours, but could not revive her. At 4:00 am Dr. Riou declared Princess Diana dead.
When the news reached Britain Prince Charles cried and cried and cried, then behaved impeccably. The Queen didn’t. At Balmoral with William and Harry when the news arrived, their mother was gone, the monarch did not hug the boys, 15 and 13. They went to nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke to be hugged.
“The Day Diana Died” is well worth reading. It will bring tears to your eyes many times. We got our copy from the Public Library.
NOTE: The best book to our knowledge on the royal family is “Palace Papers” by Tina Brown. Everything you didn’t want to know: the adulteries, rivalries, conspiracies and personalities that have fascinated much of the world for generations.
The Day Diana Died, by Christopher Andersen: William Morrow 1998 ISBN-10: 0688160824 ISBN-13: 978-0688160821
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