Who was Princess Diana’s driver Henri Paul?

DRIVER and bodyguard Henri Paul died on August 31, 1997, when the car he was driving crashed in Paris.

The horror smash, which also killed Princess Diana and her partner Dodi Al Fayed, has become the subject of much speculation in the years that have passed since.

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Who was Henri Paul?

Henri Paul was a French chauffeur who was born in July 1956.

After growing up in Lorient, on the west coast of France, Henri joined the French Air Force.

He reached the rank of captain by the age of 29 and left the military shortly after.

He later pursued a career in security and served as Head of Security at the luxury Hotel Ritz in Paris.

Henri is reported to have had a reputation as a "macho action man" who loved being around celebrities and high-profile people as part of his role at the famous hotel.

An inquest into Princess Diana's death heard that he had been privately treated for alcoholism but his family have denied he had a drinking problem.

How did he come to drive Princess Diana on the night she died?

Henri picked up Princess Diana and film producer Dodi from Le Bourget airport outside Paris on the morning of August 31, 1997.

The couple, whose romance had only gone public weeks before, had reportedly planned to stay at the Ritz as it was owned by Dodi's father Mohammed Al Fayed.

Mohammed passed away in 2023 and was buried next to his son.

On the fateful day in 1997 Henri, who is said to have been instructed to drive the hired black 1994 Mercedes-Benz to keep the Princess out of the media's eye, took Diana on a shopping trip before finishing his shift.

He later agreed to return to the hotel and drive Dodi and Diana the short distance from the hotel to Dodi's apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.

He was said to have been "over-excited" at the prospect of spending time with the princess.

There was a three-hour period between the end of Henri's shift and his return to the hotel where nobody knows where he was.

Blood analysis results from his post-mortem suggest he spent the time drinking as he was found to be three-times over the French drink-drive limit.

A post-mortem also found traces of anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medicine in his system.

Evidence from a Ritz bar bill show he had two Ricards - a French aniseed spirit - while waiting for Diana and Dodi to leave the hotel.

How was he behaving in the lead-up to the crash?

An inquest into Diana's death in 2008 found paparazzi photographers and Henri were to blame for her "unlawful killing".

The inquest heard testimonies from bar staff working at the Ritz on the fateful night with one, Alain Willaumez, saying Henri was "drunk" and had been "walking like a clown"; hours before the crash.

CCTV images from the Ritz do not show any evidence of drunken behaviour.

Security footage revealed at the inquest does show him appearing to wave at photographers just moments before Diana and Dodi left the hotel.

The court was told Paul had goaded waiting photographers, saying: "You won't be able to catch up."

The trio, and Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, entered Paris' Alma tunnel in the now-infamous Mercedes minutes after leaving the Ritz just before midnight.

The car was travelling around double the 30mph speed limit.

The accident happened because Henri Paul was taking alcohol and was driving the vehicle. That's why the accident happened.

Princess Diana's former bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones

What did police and the inquest jury believe about Henri Paul?

After 22 hours of deliberations, an inquest jury ruled Diana had been unlawfully killed as a result of Henri's drinking driving and photographers chasing the vehicle.

Rees-Jones, the sole survivor of the crash, has said that he believes Henri's drinking had been the cause of the accident.

"The accident happened because Henri Paul was taking alcohol and was driving the vehicle. That's why the accident happened," he said in 2007.

What do the driver's family believe happened to him?

Henri's father Jean told in 2017 that he believes Diana was deliberately killed in a plot to stop her marrying a Muslim man.

He said his son was "collateral damage" in the scheme.

Despite a string of official enquiries ruling Diana and Dodi died in a tragic accident, Jean insists they were victims of an establishment plot.

Jean also believes samples showing his son had alcohol in his system could have been tampered with after his death.

He said: "Diana was killed and my son was killed. I believe they were both murdered.

"My son was simply ­collateral damage of a plot to kill Diana and they killed him as well."

He added: "Even inside Scotland Yard there are two sides... One believes there was a secret plot to kill Diana, the other believes it was a genuine accident."

Everything you need to know about Princess Diana's final years

After years of separation, Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced in 1996.

In 1997, Princess Diana spent her summer in the south of France and Italy. During August, she visited Sarajevo, Bosnia, to highlight the fight against landmines.

By the end of the month, the Princess of Wales and Dodi Al-Fayed travelled to Paris together.

It was revealed that Princess Diana stayed longer than planned in Paris due to a row over her land mine campaign.

Travelling in a black Mercedes Benz, Princess Diana was involved in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997.

The Princess of Wales died at the age of 36.

Her funeral was held on September 6, 1997. As her coffin made the journey from Kensington Palace to Westminister Abbey, Prince William and Prince Harry walked behind their late mother.

Princess Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, and sisters, Jane Fellowes and Sarah McCorquodale, also attended the funeral.

The Princess of Wales was buried at her childhood home - Althorp House

If it wasn't for her tragic death, Princess Diana would have been 62 today.