The Verdict of the Diana Inquest, April 2008, and Aftermath

[anbrida]

I just happened to watch the documentary "Diana: The Witnesses In The Tunnel" on Youtube. One question just popped up in my mind. One journalist said in the documentary that Diana was very open to them for the whole summer, (one can say that she was on her own initiative to give photographs to the paparazzi) he didn't expect that they would have hidden from them that night. I really wondering why her attitude changed 180 degree that night, why she would be so desperate to hide from paparazzi.

Anyone have any idea about that?

 

[Baroness of Books]

Wasn't Diana always subject to sudden mood swings? She may have decided that she didn't want to cooperate with the paparazzi on a whim, or their aggressive tactics might just have scared the hell out of her that night and she just wanted to get away from them.

 

[anbrida]

Wasn't Diana always subject to sudden mood swings? She may have decided that she didn't want to cooperate with the paparazzi on a whim, or their aggressive tactics might just have scared the hell out of her that night and she just wanted to get away from them.

Why don't you just say she was mad, that solves everything.

 

[Baroness of Books]

Why don't you just say she was mad, that solves everything.

Excuse me? Why are you putting words in my mouth, since that wasn't my meaning at all. And you were the one who originally posed the question, so what kind of answer will satisfy you?

 

[NGalitzine]

Why don't you just say she was mad, that solves everything.

I don't get your point. It is quite well known that she did have mood swings, but I don't think anyone is saying she was mad.

 

[anbrida]

Excuse me? Why are you putting words in my mouth, since that wasn't my meaning at all.

Sorry, I apologize for my words. But I am really tired of people using "unstable", "mentally broken down" and all kinds of these words as reasons for all her moves.

 

[Baroness of Books]

Sorry, I apologize for my words. But I am really tired of people using "unstable", "mentally broken down" and all kinds of these words as reasons for all her moves.

But none of those terms was used in my post, and I certainly don't make such derogatory remarks about any person discussed on this forum.

 

[Osipi]

Sorry, I apologize for my words. But I am really tired of people using "unstable", "mentally broken down" and all kinds of these words as reasons for all her moves.

when talking about Diana's mood swings and some of the effects of her mental states due to her eating disorder and such, none of it here is ever said about Diana in a malicious way. There is an excellent discussion in the Diana forums dealing especially with these issues. I found it quite eye opening.

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f38/dianas-eating-disorders-and-health-issues-4416.html

 

[anbrida]

Sure anybody can use "swing her moods" as an easy answer to that question. But I don't buy it, period.

 

[Mermaid1962]

So why do you think she started hiding from the paparazzi? I think that she had achieved what she wanted with all those pictures of her in her bathing suit. She succeeded in upstaged Prince Charles's 50th birthday party for Camilla, she probably really annoyed Buckingham Palace, and perhaps she learned that Hasnat Khan still wasn't interested in her after her attempt to make him jealous. I think that she was probably tired of her vacation, tired of the press, and just wanted to get back to Britain and her boys.

 

[anbrida]

The way she tried to hide from them was quite extraordinary. They set up a camouflage; she bent over in the car to hide from camera shots (one of the reasons why she didn't wear seat-belt); they also drove the car in 70mph in a 40-limit zone to escape. It seemed she made a great deal of overly effort to hide. Tiresome is not enough to explain this.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Personally I think it was an attempt for more attention not less. She had to be aware of the negative stories running in the press over the preceeding couple of weeks (conveniently forgotten by many people but headlines like 'Just how many holidays does one person need?' shows the press beginning to turn on her) so she wanted to get the attention back on her and her being hounded by the press as they weren't being so nice about her at the time.

 

[anbrida]

Personally I think it was an attempt for more attention not less. She had to be aware of the negative stories running in the press over the preceeding couple of weeks (conveniently forgotten by many people but headlines like 'Just how many holidays does one person need?' shows the press beginning to turn on her) so she wanted to get the attention back on her and her being hounded by the press as they weren't being so nice about her at the time.

By looking at the result, sure she got more attention by doing that. But I don't think she had this kind of intelligence to come up with this scheme.

 

[sirhon11234]

I think that she was probably tired of her vacation, tired of the press, and just wanted to get back to Britain and her boys.

I agree, I think everything became too much for her. The long day, the press, and perhaps being around Dodi. Those last pictures she looked tired and ready to go home.

 

[Osipi]

By looking at the result, sure she got more attention by doing that. But I don't think she had this kind of intelligence to come up with this scheme.

How people viewed Diana and accepted her was very important to Diana. I've read it in many places where she kept tabs on everything published about her. She had a intense need to know that she was admired and loved. As mentioned, there were quite a few times where she, herself, would manipulate a scenario to her best advantage and the image she wished to project. What actually happened I think is that she neglected to realize that as much as she could pull off schemes using the press but she failed to realize that the media doesn't come equipped with an "off" button. Once opened, like Pandora's Box, its impossible to close it off again when she felt they weren't necessary or intrusive.

My thinking on the night of the accident is that it had been a long day, Diana was scheduled to fly back to the UK the next day and she was tired. It was Dodi's plan to move from the hotel nearing on midnight whereas Diana most likely was just wanting to sleep. Given those circumstances (if they were), I'd really not have been in the mood for a swarm of flashbulbs popping off in my face.

 

[Baroness of Books]

Dodi was making a lot of last-minute and unexpected changes in the evening's plans, so I don't think Diana felt in control of anything that was going on that night. Even the bodyguard, I believe, felt that matters were out of his hands. All these could have definitely been factors in unnerving Diana and stretching her patience to its limit, and no one's going to feel cooperative with paparazzi feeling like that.

 

[anbrida]

Dodi was making a lot of last-minute and unexpected changes in the evening's plans, so I don't think Diana felt in control of anything that was going on that night. Even the bodyguard, I believe, felt that matters were out of his hands. All these could have definitely been factors in unnerving Diana and stretching her patience to its limit, and no one's going to feel cooperative with paparazzi feeling like that.

I don't think Dodi was the one who had a strong intention to hide from the public. In fact, I would think he would have been more than willing to make his relationship with Diana as much public as he could. I can see Dodi made all those plans, but merely to satisfy Diana.

On the other side, all those last-minute and unexpected changes intensify my belief that Diana (or the couple) had a very strong intention to hide from the paparazzi. They really went beyond their ways to do that. Why suddenly a such huge difference from previous days. I guess something did happened before that night.

 

[anbrida]

How people viewed Diana and accepted her was very important to Diana. I've read it in many places where she kept tabs on everything published about her. She had a intense need to know that she was admired and loved. As mentioned, there were quite a few times where she, herself, would manipulate a scenario to her best advantage and the image she wished to project. What actually happened I think is that she neglected to realize that as much as she could pull off schemes using the press but she failed to realize that the media doesn't come equipped with an "off" button. Once opened, like Pandora's Box, its impossible to close it off again when she felt they weren't necessary or intrusive.

There were several times, when she was with her sons on vacations, she found the press very annoying and would beg to the press to leave them alone, but of course failed. Sure that is the hugest conflict in her life. But I just don't believe that she was hiding from the press with the real intention to get even more spotlight.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Diana was an attention seeking, period. She had mood swings, she changed her mind, doesn't't every human being? If you take something away from someone, they only want it more. Diana purposely hiding from the press made them hunt for a picture even more and it would have been a lot more worthy to them then thousands of the same photograph when she was in the open.

You asked a question anbrida but you don't seem to want an answer.

 

[Iluvbertie]

By looking at the result, sure she got more attention by doing that. But I don't think she had this kind of intelligence to come up with this scheme.

The history of her relationship with the press would say the exact opposite, that she was that intelligent - or manipulative and conniving. When she wanted attention she went out of her way to get it anyway she could - she knew which buttons to press and playing 'hard to get' was just another button being pushed.

 

[anbrida]

My conjecture is, a person was unhappy with all those frontpages of Diana that summer. And he let Diana know his opinion and unhappiness not long before that night. Diana took his opinion very serious, (because she loved him and didn't want to upset him) so she tried her best to avoid the media.

BTW, my conjecture is not totally groundless. Not long after diana's death, a relative of that person told on a TV show that person had a severe argument on the phone with Diana a night before the fatal incident. However, that was the only time I heard about this incidence. It was never mentioned for the second time in any media as well as this verdict, so it could not be confirmed.

 

[Osipi]

My conjecture is, a person was unhappy with all those frontpages of Diana that summer. And he let Diana know his opinion and unhappiness not long before that night. Diana took his opinion very serious, (because she loved him and didn't want to upset him) so she tried her best to avoid the media.

A lot of this rings a bell for me also. Previously to her vacations with the al Fayed family in 1997, Diana was very much involved with Dr. Haznat Khan, a heart surgeon I believe working in London. Most of their relationship was kept pretty much under wraps as Dr. Khan really didn't like the publicity and "fame" angle of Diana's life. Its been surmised that when they parted company, Diana was a loose ends and perhaps that is the reason she accepted Mohammed al Fayed's invitation. There is a separate thread discussing her relationship with Khan here too. We're digressing from the topic of the verdict of the inquest.

Whether or not she was hiding from the press or playing coy with them, the fact remains that her car was pursued at high speeds by paparazzi. She was not wearing a seat belt which most likely could have saved her life if she'd been wearing one.

 

[Artemisia]

I thought anbrida was referring to Prince William; if I am not mistaken, he was the one who argued with Diana days before her death, not liking the lifestyle she was leading and people she was mingling with.

 

[Osipi]

I thought anbrida was referring to Prince William; if I am not mistaken, he was the one who argued with Diana days before her death, not liking the lifestyle she was leading and people she was mingling with.

Very well could be as anbrida did not name the upset person. Its a bit fuzzy and I don't remember exactly where I read it but Khan came to my mind as I *think* she did contact him while on that vacation and he absolutely always abhorred the publicity.

As far as William's upset about the al Fayeds, I think he genuinely enjoyed his time with them. Years later at the Concert for Diana, I believe that Camilla al Fayed was also invited and attended.

 

[Kataryn]

And who knows if William did not contact Dr. Khan, who had become some sort of father figure to him as well as being Diana's "man" for a time, when he was so upset about his mother's fling with Dodi. I seem to recall that William was introduced to Dr. Khan (as he had been a confidant of his mother from early years on) and knew about the plans his mother were having. So surely he knew how she felt after the seperation from Dr. Khan and the reasons for it. I wouldn't wonder if he tried to tell his mother to live a little bit quieter when he was confronted with the "Dodi"-headlines and even looked for Dr. Khan for help, which he, as a compassionate man and doctor might have offered to William. Especially if he still cared for Diana.

So this theory makes a lot more sense than the idea that Diana was so exited by the media attention that she did not put on a seat belt in order to be able to look back out of the rear window. She was used to that kind of media attention. So no need to be exited. But if she had reasons to wishing for a stop, she could exactly have behave the way she did (and get Dodi to do her calling).

Thank you for this new aspect in a long, old story.

 

[Baroness of Books]

No one knows what transpired in that car and why Diana was so distracted by the paps or having other matters on her mind that she didn't wear her seatbelt. I would have thought, though, that she was accustomed to being followed by the paps, unless the attention was so aggressive this time around that she was more focused on them and didn't buckle herself in. I just think it's a shame that her bodyguard, who made sure he had his seatbelt on, didn't keep pestering her and Dodi to fasten theirs. But those are just my thoughts.

 

[sirhon11234]

No one knows what transpired in that car and why Diana was so distracted by the paps or having other matters on her mind that she didn't wear her seatbelt. I would have thought, though, that she was accustomed to being followed by the paps, unless the attention was so aggressive this time around that she was more focused on them and didn't buckle herself in. I just think it's a shame that her bodyguard, who made sure he had his seatbelt on, didn't keep pestering her and Dodi to fasten theirs. But those are just my thoughts.

Did Reese-Jones fasten his seatbelt as soon as he got into the car or moments before the impact? I don't remember which.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I don't know myself and I don't know if he remembers since he had stated that he can't recall much of the accident. But still, he sustained major injuries to his face regardless.

 

[Artemisia]

Did Reese-Jones fasten his seatbelt as soon as he got into the car or moments before the impact? I don't remember which.

I've always thought Rees-Jones had fastened his seatbelt. However, didn't the Operation Paget specify that no one, not even Trevor Rees-Jones, wore a seatbelt?

 

[Baroness of Books]

That's a shocker if that's true since it's the first I've heard that! If not, how did he manage to escape with his life?