LADY DIANA'S LIFE IS ABOUT TO END
Let's get into the atmosphere of the last existential and tragic summer vacation to examine the final weeks of the couple Diana and Dodi, during their first and last cruise around the northern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Guy Croussy, a writer, British crown specialist and author of the book Les Chagrins du Prince Charles, had a press service which he used to inform many journalists about all movements done by the new couple.
Croussy information included precisely the times of arrival and departure in all the ports where they would have arrived with the Jonika yacht, in the Mediterranean, these are: Saint-Tropez, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, Sardinia, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Elba island and others. Furthermore, the information stated: Thursday afternoon, August 28 in Paris, stop at Ritz Hotel, visit to Villa Windsor in the Paris suburb of Bois the Boulogne. Saturday morning August 30 in London.
The following Monday, September 1, together with her former husband Charles, Diana would have taken her son William to the reopening of Eton College, the famous English private school situated in Eton, Berkshire. This is an elitist school founded in 1440 by Henry VI (Stuart) King of England and baptised: âKing's College of Our Lady of Eton Beside Windsorâ.
August 1997 from the 5 to the 20: Diana leaves Saint-Tropez for a charity journey in Bosnia, at âLandmine Survivors Networkâ. Together with her there is Lord Deedes (former manager of âThe Daily Telegraphâ).
1997 August 10: âSunday Mirrorâ publishes the famous picture of the âKISSâ between Diana and Dodi. According to public opinion, this first and only photo should reveal the existing romantic relationship between the couple. This scandalous picture is also the first snapshot showing the Princess in the arms of another man after the marriage with Charles.
From this moment, mass media around the world, promote the feeling that the Princess could be pregnant of a Muslim child, of which Dodi could be the father.
1997 Thursday, August 21: After a visit in the Greek islands, Diana leaves for a quick visit to London, to her apartment in Kensington Palace. She returns to Saint-Tropez the same day.
1997 Sunday, August 24: As written by tabloids: âIn Montecarlo (district of the Principality of Monaco), Dodi invites Diana to the prestigious jewellery of Italian Alberto Repossi in Monaco, and offers the Princes a fabulous ring, called Dis-moi oui. Diana is nonchalant of that gift, but it is not her finger size, Repossi promises to fix it. The ring will be ready for pick up at the store in Paris, Place Vendôme, the following week.
Dodi and Diana are now on board of the yacht Jonikal (owned by Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed), they set sail leaving the port of Monaco on the French Côte d'Azur, heading to Portofino on the Italian Riviera Ligure. As usual, Diana carries four mobile phones.
1997 Monday, August 25: Chased by numerous paparazzi on a motor boat, Diana and Dodi leave Portofino and head towards the south of the Riviera Ligure. They cross the sea in front of Chiavari and Sestri Levante, in direction of Cinque Terre, then they drop anchor at Porto Venere, just before La Spezia.
1997 Tuesday, August 26: Diana and Dodi spend an entire day on the Tuscany Coast. They pass the archipelago along Capraia Island, and moor the yacht Jonikal at Elba Island.
1997 Wednesday, August 27: Diana and Dodi leave Elba and head to the coast of Sardinia.
1997 Thursday, August 28: Dodi and Diana, still aboard of the magnificent yacht Jonikal, are now in Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, near Olbia. According to the established itinerary, the couple should have left that afternoon for Paris.
1997 Friday, August 29: It is the penultimate day of the Mediterranean cruise on Al-Fayed's yacht. Diana has often called her sons. In a telephone call made to her faithful butler Paul Burrell, Diana asks for advice: «How should I respond if Dodi gives me an engagement ring? My desire to get married is like the desire of having a pimple in the face!». The butler suggests: «You must accept it graciously and with kindness and then you could put it on the ring-finger of your right hand». At this point it is believed that Dodi already mentioned to Diana that it is his desire to make a brief stopover in Paris before returning to London.
Diana promised Harry and William, that on Saturday, August 30 she would have returned home. On the phone William even scolded her and told her about his distress, because he did not want his mother in a relationship with Dodi. Apparently the fifteen year old William had been informed that the Al-Fayed family had a dishonest reputation. It seems that Dodi tried to persuade Diana anyway into accepting his next invitation, explaining that his father Mohamed had bought the large yacht, Jonikal, just to let her spend a dream holiday. In his belief, Dodi supposedly asked her this favour.
At this point, even if Diana was unwilling to follow him, she felt obligated to accept the request of her âpartnerâ. But it seems that, in reality, Dodi was expected in Paris for personal reasons. During that summer of 1997, entire groups of journalists and paparazzi were travelling day and night with their vehicles, motor homes, boats and helicopters following the footsteps of Princess Diana.
Their reports and photographs were sent in real time to the Press Agencies and newspapers from all around the world. A simple picture or an insignificant news about Diana was worth a big amount of money. In the week before the arrival of the Princess in Paris, every newspaper, radio and TV in the world had announced and illustrated with photographs every single movement of Diana, daily.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 1:50 pm: Diana and Dodi are still on board of the yacht Jonikal, in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, around Olbia. Outdoor, under the warm morning sun, they are sitting on the deck below, enjoying a rich breakfast. Around midday, they head towards the port of the nearby Sardinia island on a motorboat.
They get on a white Mercedes that will take them to the airport Olbia-Costa Smeralda. Later they leave the airport and set off towards Paris with a private airplane owned by Mohamed Al-Flayed, a Gulfstream 4. The modern Jet bears the colours of Harrods. Regarding her arrival in Paris, according to the protocol and the orders received from the Royal House and the British Government, Diana is not obliged to notify any of the authorities Italian, French, English or British Embassy in the city.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 3:20 pm: (Starting from this very moment, for Princess of Wales, Lady Diana Spencer the final countdown begins).
The plane with Diana, Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield on board, lands to the airport Le Bourget of Paris. They are welcomed by Al-Fayed's Ritz Hotel deputy chief of the security: Henry Paul and Dodi's body guard: Philippe Dourneau.
Besides many paparazzi and secret services agents, on the runway there also were a car and some motorcycles of the national French police. The pictures taken by paparazzi that were present at Diana's arrival at Le Bourget, confirm the presence of the French national police, while they were waiting for the Harrods Jet to land. Dodi convinced Diana to refuse the protection offered by the agents of the police of Paris, SPHP. So the couple preferred relying their safety on their own guards, which were part of the Ritz Hotel security.
1997 Saturday August 30, around 3:50 pm: Dodi and Diana, together with two more bodyguards, get on a Mercedes Benz, limousine, armoured, black, series 600, type Sedan, 12-cylinder, 280-S model with darkened windows, license plate: 405 jvj75 (not the Mercedes of the accident).
Philippe Dourneau is driving, besides him there is Trevor Rees-Jones. The other two agents follow them on a green Range Rover, which is also used to carry the luggage and first aid supplies.
Being spied on and stalked by a small yet annoying group of paparazzi, Dodi decides to speed up the ride and not to stop at Ritz, but to proceed directly to Villa Windsor, property of Al-Fayed. Luggage is brought to Dodi's apartment in Rue Arsène-Houssaye, which is right before the Arch of Triumph, next to Avenue des Champs-Elysées. The intention of the couple is to spend the night in this apartment.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:10 pm: