A few meters after exiting the back door of the hotel, with a faster pace, Trevor Rees-Jones passes Dodi and reaches Diana while she is walking alone, then he holds on tight to her as a way to protect her. The group arrived at the Mercedes that awaits them, the engine is running, the car is ready in the middle of the road. An employee of the hotel opens the doors. Observing the vehicle, Henri Paul turns to the attendant and, with a warning tone, he asks him: «Why aren't the windows darkened, couldn't you bring a different car?». Then, turning to the paparazzi standing there, almost smiling, he shouts: «Are you ready? You are not going to get me!».
However, the four passengers quickly take seat in the new vehicle. Trevor Rees-Jones keeps the rear door on the left open for the Princess and helps her sit, Diana gets in the car without taking her blazer off, Dodi enters through the same door, sitting to the left next to Diana. Behind the wheel, it's Henri Paul, beside him Trevor Rees-Jones.
Dodi receives another phone call as soon as he gets in the vehicle. Henri Paul puts the Mercedes in gear and leaves quickly, they are chased by many motorcycles and cars driven by photographers, other people and onlookers, that did not fell for the trick of the two Mercedes.
The reason for which some photographers were also present on the dark street of Rue Cambon at the back of the Ritz is due to the fact that:
1) Paparazzi are well organized.
2) That night the paparazzi present there are numerous because somebody alerted them.
3) The paparazzi have assistants and with them they have surrounded the Ritz Hotel structure.
4) The paparazzi communicate with each other rapidly through mobile phones and long range walkie-talkies.
5) There are printing services, such as the one of James Andanson and Guy Croussy, which inform about all the movements and the appearence of VIPs. External agents, working for the journalists of these services, are guys who use motorcycles and scooters. They are many, young, cheap and they have the cellphone numbers of all photojournalists registered with the agencies of their printing service, all that it takes is to send a single information message, SMS or text to reach them all in just one second.
6) Like the secret services, also the most obstinate paparazzi have a tiny bug-radar device, easily applicable to the vehicle they have decided to stalk or intercept. The waves emitted by the device are reflected at a specific frequency to a central body, the waves then return to the receiver that automatically compares the visual field between the emission frequency and the one received. The transmitter can then trace the location of the trajectory while the vehicle is in motion, follow its movements or identify the shape, the position and the area in which it is situated at that moment.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12.20 am: The Mercedes with the foursome, Diana, Dodi and their two bodyguards, moves away at full speed. A few paparazzi immediately take some pictures. Some witnesses said: «the Mercedes was chased by a single car and two motorcycles». But this information results to be fake, in reality the chase was done by an entire procession formed by a dozen motorcycles and cars. In contrast to what someone asserted, during the whole ride Trevor Reese-Jones never buckled up his seat-belt.
The Mercedes of the couple is now stopped in front of the red traffic light of Place de la Concorde. From inside the vehicle Diana, a bit frightened, looks all around her. On of the paparazzi will later say: «It seemed that, among the chasers, the Princess identified someone she knew very well because she turned to Dodi pointing towards the outside of the window». Seeing that, despite the traffic light still being red, Dodi orders to his driver to leave immediately.
From this moment on, until reaching the Alma Tunnel, the speed of the Mercedes will increase considerably. Some have stated that a top speed of 150 to 180 km per hour has to not be excluded. It is very dangerous to cross the big and crowded roadway of Place de la Concorde, it intersects with other stop lights connected with dozens of longitudinal lanes. A French journalist has confirmed that, according with the data registered by a speed camera located about 400 meters before the entrance of the Alma Tunnel, Diana's Mercedes was travelling at 196 km per hour. Along that section of the Along Seine the maximum allowed speed is 50 km per hour. However, the Mercedes was able to break away from the parade of paparazzi.
1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:22 am: Right before entering the tunnel of death, the Eiffel Tower, all light up, is the last panoramic view that the couple is able to admire in the night sky of Paris.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 56 seconds am: The motorcyclist Eric Pètel (one of the eye witnesses) is overtaken by Diana's Mercedes, shortly before it entered the Alma Tunnel.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 57 seconds am: A white Fiat Uno, from the right roadway parallel to Rue J. Goujon, is about to enter the Along Seine on at full speed, to later come across with Diana's Mercedes. The Fiat has a broken exhaust and emits a high pitch and crackling noise, like the stuttering of powerful rounds of gunfire.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 58 seconds am: From this moment, the sudden entrance of the Fiat combined with its deafening noise, catches Henri Paul by surprise, alarming him. In an attempt to avoid the impact on the right side, The Mercedes deviates quickly to the left and starts drifting. The driver Henri Paul is unable to slow down his vehicle or to control its direction and continues his ultra-high-speed race zigzagging.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:23 and 59 seconds am: François Levistre (one of the eye witnesses) sees Diana's Mercedes skidding, from the rear-view mirror of his grey Ford Ka. To better see what is happening, he immediately parks his car at the end of the tunnel on the right, but he does not get out of his vehicle.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 am: The Mercedes enters the tunnel. Right now, immediately after having swiped along the pillar No. 3, the Mercedes with Diana on board crashes fatally against the pillar No. 13 of the Alma Tunnel.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 and 2 seconds am: Every vehicle that was inside the tunnel during the dash and the crash, gets out of it, including the white Fiat Uno. Later, through various testimonies it will be identified that this Fiat belongs to Le Van Thanh.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 00:24 and 3 seconds: In the lit and silent darkness of the tunnel, a strange atmosphere reigns. The Mercedes is alone, placed sideways facing the opposite driving direction, it is almost at the centre of the roadway, but closer to the right side of the wall and with the left wheel on the side-walk. Its nose is quite crumpled and the engine is smoking. On the ground there are patches of oil and water, but very little petrol. Both headlights are still on and the muffler, still attached, is hanging to the ground. The horn is still on and it owls uninterruptedly.
1997 Sunday, August 31, 12:24 and 15 seconds or so am: After entering the tunnel with his motorcycle, Eric Pètel approaches the recently crashed Mercedes. After looking inside (without opening the doors) and after seeing the four victims, he immediately hops on the saddle of his motorcycle and exits the tunnel to alert the police from a phone booth that is located right above the tunnel.
1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:25 am: Also François Levistre leaves the tunnel with his Ford Ka.
1997 Sunday, August 31, around 12:25 and 30 seconds or so am: To the sight of the Mercedes, smoking and howling, in the middle of the road, other vehicles, and the motorized procession of photojournalists behind them, stopped at the entrance to the tunnel, blocking the entry of both lanes. The first photojournalist that got closer (on foot) to the damaged Mercedes is named Serge Arnal. The second is the photographer Romuald Rat, followed