# Princess Diana Conspiracy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701 "2003-10-21T14:47:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/1 "2003-10-21T14:47:51Z")
It was in the news last night that Princess Diana wrote months before her death that she feared someone was planning to harm her in a staged car accident, a newspaper reported Monday. A forthcoming book by Diana’s one-time butler, excerpted Monday in The Daily Mirror, quoted the princess as writing that “this particular phase in my life is the most dangerous.” Why do you think Princess Di felt that way? What was she involved in during that time that would have been controversial? The only thing I can think of is her land mine quest. She reportedly wrote to Paul Burrell that someone was planning “an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to marry.” Would Charles go that far in order to be free to marry Camilla? Who would really want to see the Princess dead? Do you know of any conspiracy ideas? The newspaper said Diana had named the person she believed was plotting against her but that it could not reveal the identity for fear of a lawsuit. It printed a photograph of part of the letter, with the name blacked out. Why would the butler hold on to this information for 6 years without going to the authorities? You would think that would have been the first thing to do. I remember Dodi Fayed’s dad made a big fuss about a conspiracy but I never heard the end results. “That letter had been part of the burden I have carried since the princess’ death,” he was quoted as saying. “Knowing what to do with it has been a source of much soul-searching.” I think this is hogwash. He is cashing in on her name right now. How much soul searching did he do? Your conspiracy ideas? (keep in mind that the rumor was she was going to marry Dodi and that she was pregnant with his child) ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/2 "2003-10-21T14:52:13Z")
Generally, it was to stop princess Diana marrying a Muslim, its either that or letting Charles get married with no strings attatched. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/3 "2003-10-21T14:57:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Who would really want to see the Princess dead? That’s my ultimate question. Whether or not the letter is real - what, she can’t have been paranoid and actually died in a car crash - she wasn’t THAT important. If you’re going to assassinate someone, shouldn’t they be worth killing? Or powerful, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/4 "2003-10-21T14:58:20Z")
In regards to your theory… What difference did it make if Di married a Muslam? She was stripped of her title “Princess” and was no longer associated with the Royal family right? ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/5 "2003-10-21T15:05:09Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s my ultimate question. Whether or not the letter is real - what, she can’t have been paranoid and actually died in a car crash - she wasn’t THAT important. If you’re going to assassinate someone, shouldn’t they be worth killing? Or powerful, or something? Ok I will bite. How powerful was she? She was the mother of the soon to be King. She was extremly popular and was an activist for many causes. People did consult her on many issues. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/6 "2003-10-21T15:05:30Z")
[Similar thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=218621). AFAIK Diana retained her title despite the divorce. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/7 "2003-10-21T15:08:16Z")
Oh, and the alleged problem with her marrying a Muslim is that a Muslim would then be stepfather to the heir to the throne (though why that would be a problem I have no idea). ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/8 "2003-10-21T15:22:53Z")
because it is an outside religion that could interfere in their eyes, even threaten British sovereignty. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/9 "2003-10-21T15:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ryan\_Liam \* > even threaten British sovereignty. Of what ? Basra ? ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/10 "2003-10-21T15:30:11Z")
Its total bullshit. Makes the JFK nuts look sensible. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/11 "2003-10-21T15:38:50Z")
Would she have died if the press wasn’t hounding her that night? If they wern’t in a race to catch her? Her driver was legally drunk but I wonder if she would have been alive? If she really thought there was a conspiracy to kill her wouldn’t she have demanded that she use her own driver at all times? Someone she felt she could trust? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/12 "2003-10-21T15:43:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*If she really thought there was a conspiracy to kill her wouldn’t she have demanded that she use her own driver at all times? Someone she felt she could trust? \*\* Henri Paul was her ‘own’ driver. She used personally hired staff (including the guy who survived, who is a friend of a friend of mine) rather than government donated - due apparently to her paranoia. The differential between this and JFK is that there isn’t a publically available letter written by JFK 10 months before his death, saying “I’m worried someone’s going to shoot me in a cavalcade” or the like. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/13 "2003-10-21T15:45:02Z")
I reckon it’s a conspiracy to sell tatty books. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/14 "2003-10-21T16:13:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Ok I will bite. How powerful was she? > She was the mother of the soon to be King. No, I asked “how powerful was she,” not “what was her position?” And in fact, you’re wrong about her title. She was ex-husband of the future King, and mother of the future King after that. In democratic Britain today, how much REAL power does the monarchy have? Not much in my opinion. If Britons know something I don’t, they’re obviously free to correct me. > [@](#): > > She was extremly popular and was an activist for many causes. > People did consult her on many issues. So is Bono. 😛 Just because she’s popular doesn’t mean it’s in anyone’s interest to kill her. Was she a threat to someone powerful or something? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/15 "2003-10-21T16:59:45Z")
Diana herself was always a little bit of a drama queen, to put it mildly. So I think the notion is a bit of a stretch. That’s not to say I’m making fun of her. But she wasn’t this great, saintly, perfect angel that so many make her out to be. She and Charles both had their faults and their good points alike. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/16 "2003-10-21T17:13:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Diana herself was always a little bit of a drama queen, to put it mildly. So I think the notion is a bit of a stretch. > > That’s not to say I’m making fun of her. But she wasn’t this great, saintly, perfect angel that so many make her out to be. She and Charles both had their faults and their good points alike. \*\* From [Private Eye](http://www.private-eye.co.uk/diana/932/gnome.htm) : > [@](#): > > The Late Princess Diana, an Apology: > > IN recent weeks (not to mention the last ten years) we at the Daily Gnome, in common with all other newspapers, may have inadvertently conveyed the impression that the late Princess of Wales was in some way a neurotic, irresponsible and manipulative troublemaker who had repeatedly meddled in political matters that did not really concern her and personally embarrassed Her Majesty The Queen by her Mediterranean love-romps with the son of a discredited Egyptian businessman. We now realise as of Sunday morning that the Princess of Hearts was in fact the most saintly woman who has ever lived, who, with her charitable activities, brought hope and succour to hundreds and millions of people all over the world. We would like to express our sincere and deepest hypocrisy to all our readers on this tragic day and hope and pray that they will carry on buying our paper notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![mipsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mipsman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipsman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/17 "2003-10-22T00:30:36Z")
I believe she was extremely popular among the people who grew up into the soccer moms. Don’t you remember how unpopular Prince Charles was? Maybe after marrying a Egyptian (which is probably a stretch), one of her new projects would be championing the Palestinians. Hmmm, who would object to that enough to kill her? jjimm, if you know some of these people, can you comment on their usual drinking habits while they were on the job? ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/18 "2003-10-22T00:50:48Z")
No one has yet offered a plausible reason why she would be killed. Lots of celebrities champion the Palestinians, and the Mossad hasn’t been whacking them. The Royal Family? Please. Diana marrying a Muslim doesn’t threaten British sovereignty. The most plausible reason to kill Diana was that the tabloids were trying to correct a sales slump. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/19 "2003-10-22T01:59:49Z")
Hmph, her driver was drunk (apparantly _very_ drunk) and she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Unless she was a co-conspirator in her own death, I’d say she was just dumb and unlucky. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701/20 "2003-10-22T10:49:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipsman \* > \*\*jjimm, if you know some of these people, can you comment on their usual drinking habits while they were on the job? \*\* Unfortunately not. A friend of mine knows Trevor Rees-Jones, but he remembers nothing about the incident at all due to head injuries. He has written [a book](http://www.twbookmark.com/books/13/0446527750/chapter_excerpt9769.html) about this. In looking for info on him, I just uncovered [this](http://theshredder.com/archive/oldrees.html): > [@](#): > > **An attempt has been made on the life of Trevor Rees-Jones, the only survivor of the Princess Diane / Dodi Al-Fayed car crash.** > > Paris, Sep.10 - According to our source, at 3:15 a.m. last night Mr. Rees-Jones began suffocating and went into a coma. > > [snip] > > An examination revealed that the dosage of sedative had been increased threefold, a change not reflected on the patient’s chart, Mlle. Beaufort insists. :dubious: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/princess-diana-conspiracy/208701.md?page=2)