Some media reports claimed that Rees-Jones survived because he was wearing a seat belt, but other investigations revealed that none of the occupants of the car were wearing them. Diana was 36 years old when she died.
Additionally, Diana, Fayed and Paul were not wearing seat belts, CNN reports. Whether Rees-Jones was wearing a seatbelt remained a question. Rees-Jones told “60 Minutes” in 2000 he did not remember anything from the crash.
Diana suffered several injuries in the crash. She had a concussion, broken arm and a cut to her thigh, according to United Press International. But her most lethal injuries were severe chest wounds. She had a tear to her left pulmonary vein that caused internal bleeding, The Independent reported.
Diana's former husband, sons, mother, siblings, a close friend, and a clergyman were present. Diana's body was clothed in a black long-sleeved, three-quarter length woolen cocktail dress designed by Catherine Walker which she had chosen some weeks before, a pair of black pantyhose, and a pair of black shoes.
4. The Mercedes had been tampered with. Some conspiracy theorists believe the seatbelts in the fateful car were faulty due to sabotage. However, it was well established that when ambulance services reached the crashed car neither Diana nor Dodi were wearing their seatbelts.
According to Prince Diana's former lover Dr Hasnat Khan, the royal switched cars after experiencing faulty brakes. In his statement at the 2008 inquest into her death, Dr Khan said: “One day, in 1995, I had finished work and bumped into Diana outside the hospital.
On 31 August 1997, Rees-Jones was seriously injured in the crash that resulted in the death of Princess Diana. The Princess's boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, were found dead inside the car; Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of the crash.
TheTalko website revealed how Margaret took her disdain for Diana to the late Princess' funeral, refusing to bow her head as the hearse drove past. The publication claimed: "Even though the story was true, Margaret could never forgive Diana for making the family look bad.
Camilla announced last Sunday she would not be attending the ceremony after representatives of Clarence House, Prince Charles' London household, had initially assured the public and the press she would accompany her husband.
In Spencer, Diana is horrified (though seemingly unsurprised) to discover her husband gave her the same pearl necklace he gave to his then-mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles. There's no evidence to suggest this gift-giving snafu ever happened (or that she ate them at the dinner table).
What were Princess Diana's last words? The firefighter on the scene of Princess Diana's accident revealed the last words she spoke before her death in an interview with The Independent. According to the firefighter, Xavier Gourmelon, the Princess of Wales asked: “My God, what has happened?”
“She was very much a hit with the royal family—they really warmed to her,” Chernock says. “Diana worked very, very hard to ingratiate herself and to model what she thought being a princess would entail, and she did it very successfully.”
Initial media reports stated that Diana's car had collided with the pillar at 190 km/h (120 mph), and that the speedometer's needle had jammed at that position. It was later announced that the car's speed upon collision was 95–110 km/h (59–68 mph), about twice as fast as the speed limit of 50 km/h (31 mph).
Princess Diana was one of those people - so much so that for a while, she felt "terrified" to be attending any events at all. Often confused for simply sulking, Diana would tend to show up to events with her head down upon arrival, literally just because she was scared.
In order to keep up appearances for her sons, Princess Diana continued to wear her engagement and wedding rings, especially at public events.
"But that day, it is Elizabeth who bowed her head as a sign of respect for the passage of Diana's coffin, the woman who wore more than anyone else had defied the conventions of the palace."
Yes, Diana and Camilla's Agonizing Lunch From The Crown Really Happened.
The queen stood with her family, and as Diana's funeral cortege passed by, she bowed her head. It was not a quick bow, nor a shallow one. The woman accustomed to being bowed by the world now lowered her head and humbly honored the princess.
Queen Elizabeth II became mother-in-law to Princess Diana when she married Charles. The two appeared to share a friendly and formal relationship through the years. They seemed to be on good terms even after Charles and Diana's separation.
Sure enough, the queen bowed her head, the rest of the royal family bowed their heads, but the one person who remained ram-rod straight and barely acknowledged the passing of Diana's coffin was Princess Margaret, so even in death she would not forgive her.”
King Charles III's reaction to the death of his former wife Princess Diana in 1997 reportedly shocked royal aides, with an expert claiming that he 'collapsed' and cried uncontrollably despite his differences with Diana.
Witnesses Antonio Lopes-Borges and Ana Simao testified that the paparazzi climbed onto the car after the crash to snap shots of Diana, Fayed and Paul as they died. The world, horrified by Diana's death, quickly blamed the paparazzi for chasing the car.
In real life, Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed dated for a few months before their sad deaths in a vehicle collision in Paris in late August 1997. Dodi Fayed and their driver were killed on the spot, in the incident, while Diana died from her injuries hours later.
The Paget report also describes Diana making comments about her brakes being tampered with to Hasnat Khan, her boyfriend between 1995 and 1997.