THE LAST RIDE: Headlines
announce the death of Princess Diana
Aug. 31, 1997
Death of a Princess
By Anita Hamilton
They had
finished an intimate dinner at the Ritz Hotel, and Dodi Fayed, an
Egyptian-born multimillionaire, and Princess Diana were on their way to
his opulent 10-room apartment overlooking the Champs-Elysées. But the
couple never made it to Fayed's place. At 12:23 a.m. the speeding
Mercedes in which Diana, 36, and Fayed were riding crashed into the 13th
pillar of the Alma tunnel on the right bank of the Seine River. Fayed
and the intoxicated driver died at the scene. Diana was declared dead at
4 a.m. at Paris' Pitié-Salpetrière Hospital.
Acres of flowers, cards
and teddy bears quickly began piling up outside Diana's home at
Kensington Palace. But the outpouring of grief seemed to catch the royal
family off guard, and it took almost a week before the Queen declared
admiration for her erstwhile daughter-in-law. Yet Diana had left an
indelible mark on the Windsor clan. In the days, weeks and years since,
the once staid monarchy has continued to strive for that common touch
that made Diana the people's princess.
TIME Cover
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