Princess Diana, The ‘People’s Princess’ Who Died In A Car Crash
Anwar Hussein/WireImagePrincess Diana in 1983, more than a decade before her infamous royal death.
Of all the royal demises on this list, perhaps none are as well-known as Princess Diana’s death. On a summer night in 1997, the ex-wife of England’s then-Prince Charles died in a shocking car crash at the age of 36.
By the time of her death, Diana had become one of the most recognizable people in the world. She married Charles, who is now King today, in 1981 at the age of 20 and had two sons with him, Prince William and Prince Harry. But Diana’s glamor and beauty drew the paparazzi — as did rumors of discontent in her marriage.
By 1997, Diana and Charles had a very public, and very messy, divorce. After leaving her husband and the royal family, Diana publicly moved on with Dodi Al Fayed, the son of Harrods department store owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Sadly, their love affair would end in tragedy.
PIERRE BOUSSEL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe aftermath of the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed.
On Aug. 31, 1997, Diana and Al Fayed had dinner at the Ritz in Paris, France. According to People, they decided to leave the hotel and stay at Al Fayed’s apartment instead because of paparazzi. But when they got into a waiting car, the photographers pursued them.
Shortly after midnight, the royal car spun out of control while speeding at 121 miles per hour into a tunnel near the Seine River. Al Fayed and the driver, Henri Paul — who was later found to be inebriated — died at the scene. Diana died several hours later, and her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, the only person to be wearing a seatbelt, survived with serious injuries.
Diana’s royal death — and the deaths of the other royals on this list — prove one thing. Though royals can seem godlike, they’re only human. They might die in unremarkable ways, or in truly bizarre ones — but they were no more infallible than the people they ruled.
After reading about these astonishing royal deaths, look through these surprisingly normal photos of the British royal family. Or, discover the stories behind 10 of the most embarrassing celebrity deaths.
