Princess Diana's bodyguard debunks death conspiracies as he exposes true cause of crash
Princess Diana's bodyguard debunks death conspiracies as he exposes true cause of crash
Charl WrightSat, September 5, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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Princess Diana died 29 years ago (Image: Princess Diana Archive, Getty Images)
Princess Diana's former bodyguard has dismissed the conspiracy theories surrounding her death 29 years later.
Diana passed away at age 36 on August 31, 1997, from injuries sustained in a high-speed car crash inside the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France. She perished alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver. Their bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived the collision, as he was the only occupant wearing a seatbelt.
The cherished royal sustained severe internal injuries, including a ruptured pulmonary vein, yet remained conscious enough to communicate with emergency responders upon their arrival. Despite aggressive medical intervention, she succumbed to her injuries at 4.53 a.m. local time.
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In advance of the anniversary of her passing, Diana's former close protection officer, Ken Wharfe, who served alongside the royal for several years before she left The Firm, gave an exclusive interview to The Mirror US.
Throughout the conversation, Ken challenged the conspiracy theories surrounding Diana's fatal accident and asserted he doesn't believe the press bears responsibility for her car crash, reports The Mirror US.
The final photo of Princess Diana (back right) who died shortly after it was taken (Image: Getty Images)
Commenting on Prince Harry's animosity toward the press, Ken stated, "The media could be intrusive, as his mother experienced throughout her life, but the media did not kill Diana."
He continued by suggesting the Duke of Sussex is "wrong" to hold the media accountable for her crash, observing on behalf of Casino Canada, "Harry knows the findings of the inquest. He knows it wasn't the paparazzi who physically caused his mother's death."
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Instead, Ken places responsibility on Diana's security team that evening, arguing they should never have permitted the Princess to enter a vehicle driven by someone under the influence.
"In my view, it was the failure of that security operation - the lack of professional experience in protecting someone of Diana's profile - that let her down," the former bodyguard said. "Diana died in a tragic accident because, in my view, the security arrangements that night failed her."
Princess Diana with her bodyguard, Ken Wharfe (Image: Princess Diana Archive, Getty Images)
Nevertheless, Ken emphasized he "takes no pleasure" in critiquing her protection detail, believing they "wanted to do their best."
Still, he stressed that Diana was no longer under Scotland Yard's protection but rather under Mohamed Al-Fayed's security team.
"Those responsible undoubtedly had the best intentions, but they lacked the experience of protecting someone of Diana's profile. Most importantly, they lacked the confidence - or perhaps the authority - to say to Henri Paul, 'You're not driving this car,'" Ken concluded.
Diana's driver, Henri Paul, had more than three times the legal alcohol limit in his bloodstream at the time of the collision, French authorities determined. Forensic experts estimated that this alcohol concentration was consistent with Paul consuming between five and eight shots of liquor or more than an entire bottle of wine.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
