Princess Diana Dies: Paris Car Crash Shocks the World
Princess Diana died at 4:00 a.m. on August 31, 1997, at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris after a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Her driver Henri Paul, who had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, was traveling at over 120 mph while pursued by paparazzi on motorcycles. Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul also died; only bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived. Diana was 36. Her televised funeral on September 6 drew an estimated 2.5 billion viewers worldwide. Elton John performed a rewritten "Candle in the Wind" that became the best-selling single in chart history. The public outpouring of grief, unprecedented in modern British history, forced Queen Elizabeth II to break protocol and address the nation.
August 31, 1997
29 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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