Examining the existing footage of those minutes, and observing Henri Paul's lip-reading, or which consonants he expressed with the movement of his lips, it seems clear that he also expressed the following to the paparazzi: «When we leave I am willing to challenge you in a race, me and this Mercedes which is outside the entrance of the Ritz.».
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:10 and 13 seconds am: In a video shot inside the cabin of the elevator at Ritz, we can see Diana and Dodi in the background, they are smiling but they do not seem relaxed. The very last radiant smile of Lady Diana can be admired in that film, with her cheerful gaze, maybe a bit forced, but overall satisfied. After having dinner and passing the night in the luxurious Presidential Suite number 102, the lift is now going down from the first floor to the ground floor bringing the couple in the Hotel lobby.
Diana's outfit is the same one she wore that afternoon from 17:40. Together with the couple there are also the two bodyguards, Trevor Rees-Jones and Henri Paul, he will be the driver of the backup Mercedes.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:11 and 00 seconds am: We are on the ground floor in the rear wing of the lobby of the Hotel, in the next 14 minutes the worst road chaos of the XX century will happen at the detriment of Diana. Dodi and Diana have reached the workstation of François Tendil, jointly with the two security guards: Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield. Henri Paul is at the beginning of the hallway in the back and he is waiting for the couple to arrive. The twosome pass in front of Henri Paul and heads towards the corridor that leads to the back of the Hotel.
It seems that all of a sudden something alarming happens, the agent Trevor appears to detect someone who allegedly touched Diana while she was walking for a moment alone.
Trevor is the only one who has noticed it, he suddenly stops and seeks cover behind an opening in the right wall, which is located between the lobby and the hallway. His gaze remains sharp, without losing sight of Diana for a moment. He puts his left hand on his gun, which he carries inside the holster around the waist of his pants (it is a .38), then he realizes that it is a false alarm and, without saying a word, continues approaching the couple that is about to reach the small and narrow corridor. At the end of it there is a small door, this is one of the secondary exits in the back of the building and leads directly to Rue Cambon. Their new Mercedes is parked on this small street and it will be used as vehicle to avoid the many paparazzi eager to photograph the Princess, located in front of the main entrance of the Ritz.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:11 and 53 seconds am : the very last videos from Hotel Ritz are silent, but the movements of the performers on the run appear to want to tell us something, their tension is very high revealing their thoughts and fears. Before exiting from the last door, Dodi and Diana are clinging to each other. Observing this behaviour from a psychological point of view, this type of hug, keeping the fingers of one's hand tight between the fingers of the hand of another person, with one's arm on the lower part of the back, is a tangible sign that the individual, Diana in this case, is unsure of herself, she is not at ease and asks for support and protection, she is anxious, has a great fear and apprehension.
We are unsure of what exactly she was thinking in that precise moment to have led her to that gesture, but one thing is sure, Diana was experiencing a combination of agitation, anxiety and concerns about a possible danger and the worry that something extremely serious could be happening to her. Now the couple is down the hallway, a few meters away from the secondary exit of the Ritz, there are neither armchairs nor benches to sit on, there is only the door that faces the narrow, gloomy and dark street of Rue Cambon.
To the left of this dim corridor there are some windows of one of the many shops of the Ritz, instinctively, Diana does not lose the opportunity to check her silhouette, outlined by her suit, reflected on the glass of the light up window.
Besides Henri Paul there is also Trevor Reese-Jones, often focused on looking at his watch. Henri Paul explains to Diana and Dodi on which side and spot of the side-walk the Mercedes is parked and makes clear how to reach it, after that he will give the couple the green light by inviting them to come out and will show his assistance by preceding them. As expected, Kez Wingfield and Philippe Dourneau are now in their respective vehicles at the front entrance of the Ritz, ready to leave at the exact previously agreed time.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:15 and 50 seconds am: Henri Paul leaves the Ritz through the service door which is in the back, goes on the side walk of the Rue Cambon, checks the road and sees three men, probably some photographers stationed on the other side of the street, he nods at them, raising his right hand, or, anyway, he performs some kind of greeting. âMany journalists have asserted that with that act Henri Paul wanted to give to the three a kind of signal to start an activity plan, previously concurredâ.
According to other reporters Henri Paul's behaviour is very suspicious, some private investigators and media have connected Henri Paul's gesture to some kind of âsign of agreementâ, associating it with the fact that he had sold information about the strategy the couple would have used that night on board of the Mercedes.
In reality, Henri Paul got out of the back of the Ritz simply to verify where, on Rue Cambon, was the backup Mercedes parked, the car he had requested an hour before (this is the vehicle which will be used in a few minutes for the escape plan programmed by Dodi and the man in charge of the security at the Ritz, François Tendil). The three individuals that Henri Paul greeted remotely raising his right arm, could simply have been some paparazzi or maybe some people that he knew.
These three may as well have been the two employees of the Park Etoile Limousine that delivered the keys of the car ordered to them, to a servant of the Ritz, and maybe they were waiting for a verification by Henri Paul.
Let us consider, however, that the information of the presence of a second Mercedes on Rue Cambon was known both to some of the Ritz staff and to the employees of Park Etoile Limousine. As we will see below, there are tangible elements that demonstrate the complete absence of a betrayal by Henri Paul against the famous couple. Contrary to this, Mohamed Al-Fayed claimed that Henri Paul that night betrayed his son by allying and cooperating with the French and British intelligence services.
FROM THIS MOMENT ON FOR THE FLEEING PASSENGERS
BEGINS A 5 MINUTES COUNTDOWN
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:19 and 50 seconds am: After a total of about 10 minutes waiting in the hallway in the back, the two CCTV surveillance cameras of the Ritz, filmed the last images of the Princess still alive, while exiting in silence from the small secondary door of the luxurious hotel. It is a warm late summer evening, particularly sultry, but not gloomy at all. At the flash of the few photographers hidden there, Diana appears with a casual outfit of a rather sporty cut, a well-worn black blazer, white stretch pants, long but summery and Versace pump shoes with medium-low heel.
She is not carrying anything, not a handbag and nor even a mobile phone, it seems that she might have dressed like that, purposely lightweight and sporty, to give the impression she was not undertaking a long journey, or to cover the eventuality of having to rush or to run away on foot, in case an emergency would have happened. She is certainly not going on a super stylish illuminated runway with a crimson red carpet, where all the superstars of the globe parade, and there are absolutely no macho bodyguards or crowds of photojournalists with cameras and TV broadcasting worldwide from behind the barriers.
Diana comes out in an absolute silence of a cold and dark vibe, the atmosphere brings shivers as in a thriller film that causes high tension and great fear. The Princess is dressed like one of the many simple girls next-door, white summery trousers, tight on her slim legs that enhance her fast walk in the darkness of this dreary road she is using to flee in secret.
Just out of the hotel,