British Rule Princess Diana's Death an Accident
Dec. 14, 2006 — -- Princess Diana was not pregnant or engaged to be married when she died in 1997 and there was no conspiracy to murder her or Ehmad "Dodi'' al Fayed, an exhaustive three-year British report has determined.
The report, released by British investigators today, concurred with a 1999 French investigation that found that the crash was caused by the intoxication of the car's driver, Henri Paul, and excessive speed.
"Our conclusion is that, on all the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car. This was a tragic accident," lead British investigator Lord John Stevens said today. "Three people tragically lost their lives in the accident and one was seriously injured. Many more, many more have suffered from the intense scrutiny and speculation and misinformed judgment in the years that have followed.''
Stevens said that he is resigned to the fact that speculation will continue to surround the cause of the crash.
"There are some matters about which we will never find definitive answers,'' he said.
Stevens added that he did not "believe there is any evidence that currently exists that can substantiate" the charge made by Fayed's father, Mohammed al Fayed, of "conspiracy to murder.''
Al Fayed has been tireless in insisting that his son and the princess were murdered because she was pregnant with Fayed's child, and that it would be an embarrassment to the British establishment if Diana gave birth to a Muslim baby.
Al Fayed has hired investigators who have raised intriguing but mostly explainable questions and theories about the crash. On Wednesday, the father again called the report's expected results "outrageous'' and said Stevens was being blackmailed by British intelligence.
"This is not the end of matters," Michael Cole, a spokesman for al Fayed, said in a press conference hours after the investigation results were released.
Al Fayed called the investigation "highly unsatisfactory" and said the probe was "ended prematurely."
"Mohammed al Fayed believes this is all part of a scheme to close down the inquiry and cover up the truth," Cole said.
In an earlier press conference today, Stevens expressed gratitude to al Fayed for sharing results of his private investigation with Stevens' team. But he declined to elaborate on his feelings about the Egyptian magnate's ongoing conspiracy charges.
Diana's family said today that they support the findings of the inquiry.
"We have been kept informed over the course of the inquiry by Lord Stevens and his officers," siblings Earl Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes said in a statement. "We have been briefed on the conclusions of the inquiry and agree with them entirely, and look forward to reading the full report in detail."
Stevens said this morning that reports that a U.S. intelligence agency had been eavesdropping on Diana's phone conversations the night that she died were "taken as far as we could.''
"We've been in touch,'' Stevens said, with American intelligence agencies and "they inform us that there is nothing in their records … that actually would assist or otherwise [with] this investigation.
