Princess Diana’s final hours: What happened in Paris before the crash that claimed her life

Princess Diana was just 36 when she died in a devastating car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.

In the hours before the tragedy, Diana had been enjoying a private dinner with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, at the Ritz Hotel. What followed was a frantic late-night journey through the French capital, a group of pursuing photographers and a crash inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel that changed the British royal family forever.

More than two decades later, the details of Diana’s final hours remain haunting.

Dinner at the Ritz

Diana and Dodi began the evening inside the Imperial Suite at the Ritz, the luxury Paris hotel owned by Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al Fayed.

Their dinner came from the hotel’s two-star restaurant, Espadon. Diana reportedly ordered mushrooms and asparagus followed by sole, while Dodi chose turbot.

But the couple had struggled to escape the attention of paparazzi since arriving in Paris.

Earlier that afternoon, photographers had followed them from Le Bourget Airport toward Villa Windsor, a mansion owned by Dodi’s father. Later, an attempt to have dinner at the Paris bistro Chez Benoit around 9:30 p.m. was abandoned after paparazzi continued following them.

The couple eventually decided the Ritz would provide greater security.

Even that plan did not work as expected.

Hotel video showed Diana entering the Ritz amid flashes from photographers. She appeared distressed. Diana and Dodi went toward the restaurant, but returned to their suite after about 10 minutes, reportedly because of the attention.

A diamond ring and growing tension

That evening also generated reports about a remarkable diamond solitaire ring.

News reports said Dodi may have purchased an "extraordinary" ring worth about $205,000 from a Paris jeweler and may have given it to Diana at the Ritz.

Whether the ring was intended as an engagement ring was never established.

Meanwhile, concerns about the paparazzi were becoming increasingly serious.

Earlier in the day, Diana had reportedly spoken to bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones about the reckless behavior of motorcycle photographers. Her concern was not simply that they might cause trouble for the Mercedes carrying the couple, but that one of the riders could fall beneath another vehicle because of their erratic driving.

The driver was called back

Henri Paul, the Ritz's deputy head of security, was summoned by cellphone and arrived at the hotel at about 10:08 p.m.

Hotel staff later said he appeared sober and steady. He spent the following hours around the lobby and was seen in the hotel bar with other security personnel. Interviews with hotel employees reportedly found no evidence that he had been drinking.

But Paul would ultimately become one of the central figures in investigations into the crash.

At around 12:07 a.m., Diana and Dodi left their suite and discussed the paparazzi and Diana's fears about what might happen.

They were planning to travel to an apartment near the Champs-Elysees.

To confuse photographers, the couple planned to use decoy vehicles, including a Range Rover and a Mercedes.

The final departure

At approximately 12:19 a.m., Diana and Dodi were at the hotel's back entrance.

Security camera footage showed Dodi placing his arm around Diana's waist.

A minute later, they climbed into a Mercedes.

Diana was wearing a black top and jacket with white trousers. Her hair was carefully styled and she wore red lipstick. Dodi wore a tan jacket, grey shirt and jeans.

The hotel's security footage showed no paparazzi immediately outside the back entrance.

But the decoy plan did not prevent photographers from pursuing the Mercedes once it was on the road.

Henri Paul was driving.

Police later said he did not have the special license required to drive the vehicle, a claim disputed by the Al Fayed family.

Investigators also reported that autopsy blood tests showed Paul had been legally drunk, with judicial sources saying his blood-alcohol level was at least three times the legal limit.

The chase through Paris

The Mercedes sped away from the Ritz, traveling down Rue Cambon before turning onto Rue de Rivoli.

At Place de la Concorde, it passed the famous obelisk before heading toward the Seine and the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.

Some photographers later claimed Paul was already driving dangerously, describing the Mercedes accelerating before a traffic light had turned green and "fishtailing" on the road.

Inside the car, Diana and Dodi were not wearing seat belts.

The only occupant reported to be wearing one was bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Then came the final stretch of the journey.

The crash inside the tunnel

At roughly 12:25 a.m., the Mercedes entered the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.

The speed limit was 48 km/h, or 30 mph.

Witnesses later described the Mercedes as traveling dramatically faster, with estimates exceeding 145 km/h and possibly approaching 193 km/h.

Police officials said the car's speedometer was found frozen at 196 km/h after the crash, although the Al Fayed family disputed that figure.

The Mercedes left approximately 16 meters of skid marks.

Seconds after entering the tunnel, the vehicle lost control.

It slammed into a concrete pillar, rolled over and then struck the right-hand wall before spinning around.

Henri Paul died in the crash.

Dodi Fayed, sitting in the rear of the Mercedes, also died.

Diana was critically injured.

Strangers rushed toward the wreck

Tourists Jack and Robin Firestone were near the tunnel when they heard the collision.

They rushed toward the wreck and described photographers swarming around the damaged Mercedes.

Dr. Frédéric Mailliez happened to be driving through the tunnel in the opposite direction shortly after the crash. He stopped and tried to help Diana.

She was unconscious and struggling to breathe.

Emergency crews were eventually called.

At around 12:27 a.m., firefighters received the first call. Police and firefighters arrived around 12:40 a.m.

Diana and Rees-Jones were still alive.

Rescuers had to cut through the Mercedes to free those trapped inside. Diana was eventually removed through the rear of the vehicle while emergency doctors attempted to save her.

Diana's final hours

At around 2 a.m., Diana was taken to Hospital La Pitié Salpêtrière.

She was suffering from massive chest injuries and heavy internal bleeding.

Doctors fought to save her life.

But Diana went into cardiac arrest.

After approximately two hours of resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead at 4 a.m.

She was only 36 years old.

Two hours later, at 6 a.m., British ambassador Michael Jay announced her death at a hospital news conference.

The statement was brief but devastating: Diana's death, he said, "fills us all with shock and deep grief."

The world would spend years trying to understand how a seemingly ordinary night in Paris had ended in one of the most shocking deaths of the 20th century.