Princess Diana tragically lost her life in a vehicle accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, while being pursued by paparazzi. She had previously been married to Prince Charles and was well-liked for her philanthropic efforts. She died at the age of 36, leaving behind her two sons- Prince William and Prince Harry . Since then there have been countless conspiracy theories surrounding her untimely death, one of the biggest ones being she was pregnant during the crash. All the myths were busted decades later by renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Richard Shepherd, who had re-examined the late Preincess’ body for the formal investigation. In an interview with the Daily Mail , he disclosed several of the urgent concerns he was asked regarding her death.
Forensic pathologist, Dr. Richard Shepherd, discusses the truth behind Princess Diana’s fatal crash. pic.twitter.com/QNqOWsa6zX
— UNILAD (@UNILAD) October 23, 2022
Dr.Shepherd revealed that following a second autopsy on the deceased princess’s body, he was questioned about her appearance in an odd way. “People asked: ‘Was she beautiful?’ ‘Was she peaceful?’ ‘Was she pregnant?’ he recalled. “I always made sure I never said anything — in all the cases of public interest I was involved with — that hadn’t already appeared in the Press.” He poignantly added, “Pathologically there was no evidence that Princess Diana was pregnant, but some women say they know they’re pregnant from the moment of conception. Was she one of those?”
Dr.Shepherd confirmed that Princess Diana would have survived the fatal crash had she strapped on her seat belt. “I wish I could say she would have died whatever happened, but the fact is, if she had worn her seatbelt she would have been here for Prince William and Harry’s weddings,” he claimed.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, at age 36. Her funeral on September 6, 1997, at Westminster Abbey was attended by over 2,000 guests and watched by 32 million viewers worldwide. pic.twitter.com/hjw9K71Nnl
— Cultural Maverick (@CulturalMaverik) November 1, 2024
He believed that her injuries would have been minor from the impact at the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel, “she would have walked away with a black eye or maybe a broken arm, but nothing more. Instead, she was hurtling forward with the weight of one and a half elephants, and the human body is not designed to suffer those forces,” the forensic expert explained.
Dr Richard Shepherd is one of the world’s most distinguished forensic pathologists, having worked on 26,000 cases, including the death of Princess Diana. #TMS7 pic.twitter.com/weGeqk4pUH
— The Morning Show (@morningshowon7) July 25, 2019
As per the UK Mirror , the terrible collision also claimed the life of driver Henri Paul, who was reportedly twice the British legal drinking and driving limit. Bodyguard Trevor Rees was the only one who survived the crash. After a series of serious governmental investigations, it was determined that Diana and Dodi lost their lives in the tunnel due to their intoxicated French driver. The jury in the princess’s inquest concluded that Henri and the photographers, who were riding motorcycles to follow the car, had committed “gross negligence” and the criminal act of killing the two.
Dr. Shepherd has famously worked on other major cases including executing autopsies on the deceased victims of the Hungerford Massacre in Berkshire in 1987, ten years prior to Diana’s passing. In addition, he worked on solving the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Marchioness boat tragedy.