August 31, 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the tragic events that took place under the Alma bridge in Paris - Lady Di and her lover Dodi al-Fayed were killed in a car under the control of Henri Paul.
Life without love
Diana Francis Spencer was born on July 1, 1961. She was the daughter of 8 Earl Spencer, who served as a horse under George VI and under Elizabeth II. She was a graduate of the private New England private school, where she received an award as the kindest girl helping her classmates. This character trait will later make her the darling of millions of people around the world.
After school, she studied pedagogy and psychology in France and, returning to London, worked as an assistant teacher.
The royal family considered Diana to be the ideal party for Prince Charles - a young girl with no defamatory ties, noble birth and Protestant.
Diana accepted Charles's courtship, and on July 29, 1981, the couple married. But the young husband did not feel love for his wife and still met with Camilla Parker Bowles. This attitude could not help but hurt Diana, and she repeatedly tried to commit suicide after prolonged depression. By the mid-80s, the couple’s relationship crashed - Charles did not hide his relationship with Camilla, and on the initiative of Queen Elizabeth II in 1996, the marriage was officially terminated. Diana began dating other men. She was credited with novels with James Hewitt (horseback riding instructor), John Kennedy Jr., Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and an unknown man taking cocaine. Lady Di's last love was Dodi al-Fayed.
Fatal meeting
Imad Al-Din Muhammad Abdel Moneim Fayed was born in Alexandria in the family of billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed, an Egyptian entrepreneur. He received an excellent education: first at St. Mark's College (Roman Catholic School in Alexandria), then at the Le Rosy Institute (Switzerland). He studied for some time at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
As a result, he chose the profession of producer for himself. On his account such films as “Fire Chariots”, “Broken Glass”, “The Illusion of Murder”, Captain Hook, “Scarlet Letter”, “Special Effects.” He also helped his father manage the Harrods department store.
Love story
Where did Diana and Dodi al-Fayed meet? The love story began after the invitation of Mohammed al-Fayed to relax on a family yacht, and later on the estate on the Cote d'Azur in early 1997. Diana and her sons had a wonderful time on the Jonical yacht. At that time, Lady Dee had a relationship with Hasnat Khan. According to insiders, the princess had strong feelings for Hasnat, and she even met secretly twice with his family, and her parents approved the choice of her son. But the man believed that Diana’s independence and love for high society was unacceptable for him as a man and would turn their lives into hell, and for this reason the couple broke up. People close to Diana claimed that Dodi was a consolation for her and even a way to provoke Hasnat’s jealousy. But, unlike the latter, al-Fayed in relation to Diana had the most serious intentions. This fact was confirmed by Franco Gelli, the vicar of the Church of England near Kensington Palace, where Diana lived with her sons. He said that the princess was wondering if people of different faiths could get married.
July 20, 1997 Dodi and Diana took a boat trip together, and then went on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. In August, the couple sailed along Italy, and on August 30, lovers flew to Paris. There, Dodi al-Fayed purchased a wedding ring for his beloved for 11.6 thousand pounds. The ring was taken by a representative of the Ritz Hotel, in which the couple stayed. That evening, they retired to a separate office in the hotel, where Diana presented Dodi with cufflinks - a memorable gift from her father, and her beloved handed her a ring. The next day, the princess was about to fly home to the UK.
At the entrance to the hotel, paparazzi crowded in anticipation, and, wanting to avoid meeting them, Diana and Dodi al-Fayed (you can see the photo of the princess’s beloved in the article) took advantage of a service elevator.
Crash
A few minutes later, the car crashed into a column in the Alma tunnel. In addition to Diana and Dodi, the Mercedes had bodyguard Trevor Reese-Jones and driver Henri Paul. According to the official version, the latter lost control, as he was intoxicated and drove at an unacceptable speed of 105 km / h. Dodi died on the spot. Diana managed to get out of the rumpled car, but she died by morning. The driver did not survive.
