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Princess Diana's 28th death anniversary: Remembering her tragic death, last words, and lasting legacy
Princess Diana died 28 years ago in a Paris car crash. Here is a look at her final moments, last words and the lasting legacy.
Princess Diana, only 36, died after a car crash inside Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997, and is remembered as one of the darkest mornings in royal history. According to PEOPLE, she and Dodi Fayed, son of Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, had been trying to leave the Ritz Hotel while the Paparazzi were waiting. Even with decoy cars, the two could not slip away unnoticed.
Their Mercedes, driven by Henri Paul, shot into the tunnel at high speed. Paul and Fayed died on the spot. Diana was rushed to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, but doctors could not stop the internal bleeding, and she was pronounced dead around 4 a.m.
Princess Diana's last words and the days that followed
PEOPLE report that firefighter Xavier Gourmelon, who was first on the scene, pulled Diana from the wreck. He later recalled her saying, “My God, what has happened?” He gave chest compressions and thought she would make it. When news came that she had passed away, he said it was “very upsetting” and something that never left him.
Back in London, crowds lined the gates at Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace. Flowers, cards, and handwritten notes piled up. The phrase “People’s Princess” was everywhere.
Prince Charles, at the time, flew to Paris with Diana’s sisters to bring her home. A week later, the world watched her funeral at Westminster Abbey. Prince William and Prince Harry, then just 15 and 12, walked behind her coffin, an image that still stings.
Also read: What was in Princess Diana's time capsule? Items finally unveiled after 34 years
Princess Diana's legacy has not faded
Almost three decades later, Diana’s influence is still visible. PEOPLE point out that William and Harry have carried her work forward. William has focused on homelessness, one of her causes. Harry, in 2022, retraced her steps through a minefield in Angola.
In 2021, both brothers unveiled a statue of their mother in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. At the Diana Awards in 2022, Harry said: “I see her legacy in all of you… and I see my mum’s legacy when I look at my own children every day.” William told recipients years earlier, “My mother would be so proud of you.”
Her life has been revisited in documentaries and on Netflix’s The Crown. But 28 years later, it is not just the retellings. It is the fact that Diana’s presence, the empathy, the way she connected, has not really gone away.
FAQs
When did Princess Diana die?
She died around 4 a.m. on August 31, 1997, in Paris.
Who else died in the crash?
Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul both died at the scene.
What were Princess Diana’s last words?
According to firefighter Xavier Gourmelon, she said, “My God, what has happened?”
How old was Princess Diana at her death?
She was 36 years old.
What legacy did she leave behind?
Her sons continue her humanitarian work, while charities and memorials honor her life worldwide.
