| By SUSAN BRYCE Leading conspiracy theorists now rank the death of
Diana,
Princess of Wales, with the assassinations of former US president, John F. Kennedy and
Beatles legend, John Lennon. The obfuscation and confusion surrounding the untimely and
unfortunate death is cited as circumstantial proof that Diana and her
companion, Egyptian millionaire, Dodi al-Fayed were assassinated in an automobile
accident.
Conspiracy theorists are not alone in their beliefs that Diana and
Dodi were the victims of an assassination plot. The Arab media, leading Egyptian
newspapers, and Libyan leader, Muammar Qadhafi have weighted in with accusations that the
automobile accident was caused by foul play at the behest of the British establishment.
The main Egyptian news agency, MENA suggested that foul play was
responsible for the death of the glamorous couple and their driver. "The scenario of
the events and racist (verbal) attacks which preceded the accident suggest that it could
have been a plot," it said.
Anis Mansour, offering no substantiation, put it directly in the
Cairo daily Al-Ahram: "She was killed by British intelligence to save the
monarchy.... Nobody since Cromwell, who called for a republic in the 17th Century, has
been able to shake the royal family as Princess Diana did."
Speaking about the tragedy, Libyan leader, Muammar Qadhafi said:
"The world has to be really naive to believe that the crash which happened two days
ago was accidental." The Libyan Human Rights Commission is quoted as saying
"Only children believe it was an accident".
A poll conducted in the West Bank showed that 47 per cent of readers
of Palestinian papers were certain that the Paris car accident had been engineered.
Conspiracy theories are also circulating in countries
"friendly" to Britain. Kuwait’s daily newspaper Al-Siyassah put it
in deliberately vague terms: "The Diana-Dodi relationship embarrassed the dignity of
the British lion". Sultan Hattab, a columnist wrote in the Jordan daily Al-Rai "There
is a viewpoint that suggests the death of the Princes was engineered".
Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party during a tribute
to Diana’s "common touch", stated that "she had enemies in the
establishment, and perhaps in death, they will now accord her some of the respect and
compassion which they refused her in life".
The friendship between Diana and Dodi publicly bridged the gap
between different faiths and different cultures. Dodi and Diana symbolised the union of
the Muslim and Christian world, which may have been too much for the establishment to
bear.
There is widespread speculation that Dodi and Diana were to be
married. This event would have had major implications for the Royal family. Diana may have
converted to Islam. The future king (and future head of the Church of England) would have
had a step father who was an Arab, and possibly a half brother of Arab descent.
According to Dodi’s step uncle, Hussein
Yassin, the couple were
to be married. Yassin says he spoke to Dodi about their engagement four hours before the
Paris accident which claimed their lives.
The al Fayed family spokes-person, Michael Cole confirmed that Dodi
had given Diana a $200 000 diamond solitaire ring hours before she died and said gifts
from Diana to Dodi had been found among his effects.
"What that ring meant we shall probably never know, if the
planet lasts for another thousand years, people will still wonder about its
significance", Cole is quoted as saying.
THE AL FAYEDS
Dodi al Fayed was the Egyptian-born heir to the billion-dollar
Harrods fortune. Dodi, (whose name is a diminutive of Emad, meaning "someone you can
count on"), was the only son of Mohamad al Fayed, and his late first wife Samira
Khashoggi, sister of Saudi international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
Mohamad al Fayed has lived in England for 20 years, his four
children of his second marriage are all British citizens. Al Fayed bought Harrods in 1984,
sinking $500 million into the store and donating generously to British charities. He was a
friend of Diana’s father, the late Lord Spencer, and employs Diana’s stepmother
Raine, Countess de Chambrun as director of Harrods International, the store’s duty
free arm. Al Fayed sponsors the Royal Windsor Horse Show, at which he shares the
Queen’s box.
Mohamed al Fayed has gone to great lengths to prove his place in
Britain. He persuaded his friend, the Sultan of Brunei to buy a fleet of helicopters from
a British firm and he helped save the pound from severe devaluation, by getting the Sultan
to keep some of his billions in pounds, rather than dollars.
<But despite Mohamad al Fayed’s wealth, prestigious holdings and
good works, he has always been repulsed by British Society. For years, the British
government has denied his requests for citizenship without explanation.
Recently, Mohamad al Fayed got a measure of revenge against the
Conservative Party which he particularly blamed for his rejection. Al Fayed is credited
with helping bring down John Major’s government. Before the last election, he
disclosed that Tory members of parliament took money from him in paper bags or accepted
his hospitality at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in exchange for political influence. The MPs
accepted cash and perks in return for asking questions about Mohamed al Fayed’s
rejected citizenship applications. At least six conservative politicians had to step down
after the "cash for questions" drama unfolded.
DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES
To her friends and supporters, Diana was a great humanitarian and a
devoted mother. To her establishmentarian enemies, she was a most dangerous loose cannon.
As the mother of the future king of England, she could not be completely ignored. Diana
was a superstar who promised to lead the royal family into the 21st Century, while also
threatening the very survival of the royal family, whose public popularity recently
slumped to an all time low of 47 per cent.
The House of Windsor, scandalised and battle scarred, suffered a
humiliating defeat when Diana and Charles divorced in 1996. The royal family had been
rocked by the disintegrating marriage of Diana and Charles, a husband whose affections
still belonged to another woman, Camilla Parker Bowles. In keeping with tradition, it
would have been Diana’s duty to remain silent about Charles adultery, in return for
the advantages and notoriety that royalty offered. But Diana was a contemporary woman, who
fought for her rights.
In November 1995, Diana gave a television interview without the
knowledge of her advisers or the Queen. During this interview, Diana revealed how unhappy
she was and how she had developed the eating disorder bulimia. She also described the
aides of the royal family as her enemies.
After a much publicised divorce in 1996, Diana was finally free from
the constraints and restrictions placed upon her by the royal family. Diana was becoming
radicalised. As a single woman, she commanded power and intelligence. She strengthened her
own circle of influential support, and was champion of several controversial causes such
as the Halo foundation, which campaigned against the use of anti personnel land mines.
Diana had travelled to war torn Bosnia and Angola as part of her
campaign against anti-personnel land mines. She died on the eve of an Oslo conference
which saw 100 countries try to agree on a world wide treaty to ban the use of the said
weapons.
It has been widely reported that William Hague, leader of
Britain’s Conservative Party was curiously unmoved by Diana’s death. In a speech
praising Diana’s achievements he suspiciously omitted her campaign against landmines.
Diana was reportedly considering taking part in a factual
documentary about Iraq. Richard Moore, writing in Cyber Journal says, "Diana was
indeed very close to committing to what would have been an extremely provocative
documentary regarding Iraq.... I see this as being much more threatening to New World
Order elite interests than the 'humiliated royals angle' — and more likely to have
been the root cause of any foul play", Moore says.
The documentary was being researched by Parveez Syed, of Shanti TV,
and detailed the abominable impacts of post gulf war economic sanctions, including the
starvation of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi infants.
THE PAPARAZZI — LEE
HARVEY OSWALDS OF 1997?
Initially, the paparazzi were blamed for hounding Diana to her
death. It now appears that it was pre-emptive to blame the paparazzi per se. Apparently,
they were riding little more than what can be called "hair dryers", and not high
speed motorbikes, as first claimed. Nine photographers and one motorcycle courier are
under formal investigation for manslaughter and failure to help people in danger. They
have not yet been formally charged. French police decided to develop the paparazzi
photographs taken from the accident scene, but have not revealed what the photographs
show.
The first at the scene of the accident was Romuld Rat, a paparazzo,
who opened the back door of the Mercedes where Diana had been sitting, and claims to have
placed a finger on her neck to see if there was a pulse. At that moment, he heard someone
behind him shouting "I’m a doctor, please make way". Frederic
Mailliez, an
off duty doctor had been driving by and had stopped to assist.
WAS HENRI PAUL
ANOTHER JACK RUBY?
In the media feeding frenzy that followed the fatal accident, the
paparazzi were put in the spotlight. Key political and celebrity figures took up the
gauntlet, calling for a tightening of media and privacy laws. But the focus of inquiries
quickly turned from the paparazzi to Henri Paul, the al Fayed chauffeur, who was also
killed in the crash.
Blood samples taken from Paul, allegedly show that he had consumed
the equivalent of 1 and a half bottles of wine or three times the French drink drive limit
(twice the British drink drive limit).
Further blood samples taken at the request of the Paul family
confirmed that Paul had 1.73 grams of pure alcohol per litre of blood. Pauls’ blood
tests also indicated the presence of the anti depressant drug Prozac, and lesser
quantities of Tiapride Hydrochloride, a drug that is often used to fight depression.
In a rare official statement, the prosecutors’ office said
blood tests showed Paul had taken fluoxetine — an anti depressant best known under
the name Prozac and a sedative called Tiapride that inhibits agitated or aggressive
behaviour. "Drivers are urged to exercise prudence in the utilisation of both
medications", the statement said.
The common side effects of Prozac include nausea, drowsiness,
sweating, tremor, tiredness, dry mouth and sleeplessness. Unusual side effects include
blurred vision, fever, heart palpitations and sweating. Alcohol is not advised when taking
Prozac.1
The morning before the accident, Paul had played tennis with an old
school friend, Claude Garrec. At 11am, they left the tennis club and drove to a local bar.
According to Garrec, Paul drank Coca Cola.
Around 12.30 Garrec dropped Paul off at home, and asked if he would
come over as usual that Saturday night for a seafood dinner. Paul told Garrec not to
expect him, and said that he had important work to do, and wasn’t sure when he would
be finished.
Paul’s activities in the hours which followed are now the
subject of intense investigation. At 7.05pm on August 30, Paul came off duty from the
Ritz. At 10pm, Paul took a call on his mobile telephone and returned to the hotel at
10.08pm.
It is unknown what Paul did between going off duty at 7.05pm and
being called back to the hotel at 10.08pm. The call was made to Paul’s mobile phone,
and records could be checked to verify what vicinity or "cell" the mobile phone
was in. Was Paul at home? Was he on the road? He must have been close by to the Ritz, as
it took him less than 10 minutes to get to work after the call.
With the confirmation that Paul was drunk at the time of the
accident, the rumour mill activated at high speed. Reports claimed that Paul was a heavy
drinker, an alcoholic; but a 60 page autopsy report on Paul showed no liver damage of the
kind associated with long-term alcoholism.
TREVOR REES-JONES
The BBC initially described Rees-Jones as "British Special
Branch". The story of Rees-Jones’ identity then changed, with the media
reporting him as an al Fayed security man, or body guard. Rees-Jones’ identity
changed for a third time when he became Diana’s Bodyguard.
Trevor Rees-Jones is a 29 year old ex paratrooper, who suffered
critical injuries in the accident. According to newspaper reports, Rees-Jones underwent
hours of facial reconstructive surgery. This follows a number of early reports which
claimed that Rees-Jones had to have his tongue removed, and another which declared that
Rees-Jones was suffering from amnesia due to shock, coupled with the massive doses of
anaesthetic necessary for his reconstructive surgery. This conjecture certainly would not
have helped Rees-Jones’ speedy recovery. Rees-Jones has now been taken off the
critical list, and he is able to communicate. He has divulged several important facts
about a second car involved in the accident.
THE SECOND
CAR?
Authorities investigating the car crash now believe that a second
car, possibly a black or dark blue Fiat Uno was involved in the accident. Parts of a tail
light and traces of paint found at the scene do not belong to the Mercedes that carried
Diana and Dodi. Traces of paint were found on a side-view mirror of the Mercedes.
Investigating judge, Herve Stephan, has asked police to re-examine more paint found on the
wall inside the tunnel to see if it matches the Mercedes.
Trevor Rees-Jones, the sole survivor of the crash has told
authorities that the Mercedes was being followed by another vehicle on the night of the
tragedy. According to Rees-Jones two motorbikes and one car followed the Mercedes.
Rees-Jones has told investigators "I do not remember the route. It seems to me that
there was one white car with a boot which opened at the back", he added.
The Guardian newspaper reported that police had evidence that
the Mercedes hit a Fiat Uno about 60m from the crash site in the Paris underpass.
An Associated Press report on September 21, 1997 quotes Gary
Hunter, a partner in a London law firm saying he was watching TV when he heard an almighty
crash at 13:25am. "I heard the screeching of tyres, I saw a small dark car turning
the corner at the top of the road....my own feeling is that these were people in a hurry
not to be there. I am confident that the car was getting off the scene....it looked
sinister," Hunter said.
THE MYSTERIOUS AMERICAN
As previously discussed, the first person on the scene of the
accident was Romuld Rat, a paparazzo. Rat parked his bike in front of the wreck, then ran
back towards it, taking several pictures. As he got closer to the car, he saw the
blood-drenched face of Rees-Jones. In the back seat was Dodi, clearly dead. Rat said his
body was "twisted like a rag doll". Other reports locate Dodi’s body thrown
some distance outside the wrecked car.
Shortly after Rat arrived on the scene, Freideric
Mailliez, the off
duty doctor arrived. So far, only one media report, "Diana’s Last Hours",
produced by the BBC has mentioned and interviewed Mailliez’ American companion, Mark
Butt, who was travelling with him at the time. In the television interview, Butt came
across as articulate and well spoken, with a distinct recollection of the events of the
Sunday morning tragedy.
Another group of Americans, Jack Firestone, his wife Robin and their
12 year old son were returning to their hotel early Sunday after a day of sightseeing when
their taxi stopped briefly by the demolished Mercedes. Firestone says that the paparazzi
swarmed the Mercedes wreck like "sharks after raw meat". The Long Island
residents didn’t realise who was in the car until they woke up later on Sunday. They
then went to the police to tell them what they saw. Other American "tourists"
interviewed on CNN say they heard an explosion and then a crash inside the tunnel.
ARE
SECRET SERVICE FACTIONS SUSPECT?
The Arab press and many internet conspiracy sites now maintain that
a faction of British intelligence had a hand in the fatal crash.
There is little doubt that British intelligence had an active
interest in the activities of Diana. It has been widely alleged that the infamous
"Squidge Tapes", revealing an intimate conversation between Diana and a former
lover, were leaked by a faction within MI5.
The magazine New Weekly recently reported the discovery of
surveillance cameras that had been placed in Dodi’s apartment on London’s Park
Lane to capture the couples intimate moments. The article says that Diana was convinced
that the British secret service branch MI5 was behind the bugging of Dodi’s
apartment. The allegation adds weight to a claim Diana made after the MI5 bugging scandal,
that she was "bugged and spied upon day and night" by British secret security
services.
SOME ANOMALIES
* Initial reports from the police said the car’s speedometer
was frozen at 196kph. But later the story changed to reveal the speedo read zero.
* The paparazzi were prime suspects for accident, then Henri Paul
became the suspect, now attention has turned to the occupants of the black Fiat Uno.
* French authorities will not disclose what the confiscated rolls of
paparazzi film show.
* The Mercedes suffered two impacts inside the tunnel. The first
impact was with the third tunnel pillar. The Mercedes then rolled forward another 10
pillars, impacting with the 13th pillar.
* Some witnesses claim that there was a liquid or substance on the
road where the Mercedes impacted with the 13th pillar, but this could have been fluid from
the Mercedes itself.
* French authorities still have not released information from a
speed camera and a radar trap at the entrance to the tunnel where the accident took place.
* It took 15 minutes before amb-ulances arrived on the scene, as the
fire brigade had been called initially.
* After giving Diana blood transfusions and other emergency care on
the spot, she was transferred to the ambulance. Emergency workers ordered the ambulance to
go slowly and to avoid bumps. The six mile trip to the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in
eastern Paris took an hour, so long that French Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement
and Paris police chief Philippe Massoni feared the ambulance had got lost en route.
* A further delay occurred less than a mile from the hospital when
the ambulance crew ordered the vehicle to stop so that they could inject a massive dose of
adrenaline into Diana’s heart, which had stopped beating.
* Why did no one notice that Henri Paul was drunk. If he was 3 times
over the French drink drive limit, surely security, and in particular a bodyguard, would
have noticed.
* Mohamed al Fayed, through his spokesperson Michael Cole, says he
was approached by an emergency or hospital worker who passed on information about
Diana’s last words. Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd, denies Diana said
anything.
* Why did Trevor-Rees Jones fasten his seat belt seconds before the
accident? Bodyguards ready for action do not normally wear seat belts.
* Why weren’t Dodi and Diana wearing seat belts?
* Trevor Rees-Jones has told investigators that two motorbikes and
one car followed the Mercedes. He said that there was one white car with a boot that
opened at the back. What of this white car? Did the boot open up, did someone throw
something at the Mercedes, causing an explosion and a crash?
* Some witnesses report the sound of an explosion, then the sound of
a crash. Another witness says there was a flash of light in the tunnel.
* The Mercedes-Benz S280 that was involved in the fatal crash was
stolen and disappeared for a week last year. During that time, its engine and computerised
brake and engine management system were removed. Skid marks were found on the road where
the accident occurred. The Mercedes had an ABS (anti locking brake system) fitted, meaning
there should be no skid marks.
* No autopsy was done before Diana was flown home to England for
burial because she was not directly involved in the cause of the accident. Dodi was buried
the day after the accident, according to Muslim custom. There was no autopsy.
THE ESOTERIC ASPECT
Just a few weeks before her death, Diana and Dodi made a highly
publicised visit to clairvoyant Rita Rogers at her northern England home in Chesterfield.
Diana occasionally consulted astrologers and psychics. Debbie Frank,
Diana’s own personal astrologer for the last eight years, is reported as saying:
"although I would never have predicted her death we did talk about death a great
deal. She said to me that only when people were dying could they be absolutely
honest".
Eight months before the tragic accident, Hassan
Charni, a top Arabic
astrologer predicted the August tragedy. The popular Tunisian clairvoyant, forecast
Diana’s life would be tragically cut short. In a round up of predictions for the
coming year, 1997, the Arabic newspaper, Essarih published Hassan’s
prediction: "Princess Diana’s death, despite her youth, will be the most
important event in Great Britain in 1997. The scandals of her love affairs will end in
tragedy. Diana will die and all those scandals will be buried", Charni stated.
Diana also made a self prophesying statement. An article in the Washington
Post on Saturday August 9, 1997, quotes Diana from the tabloid newspaper The Sun,
as saying "Dodi is the man who will take me out of one world into another."
FOOTNOTE
1.
A severe reaction has been reported in people taking fluoxetine (Prozac)
and other types of anti depressant drugs, known as mono-amine oxidase
inhibitors. According to medical journals, fluoxetine and mono-amine
oxidase inhibitors should not be given together, nor commenced while
there is any residue of either in the body. To date, this author is
unable to establish whether Tiapride is a mono-amine oxidase inhibitor.
REFERENCES
"Gaddafi says French, British agents killed Diana", Reuters,
September 2, 1997.
"Diana was to help Iraqi Infants", Parveez Syed, Shanti
RTV, September 1, 1997
"Photographers swarmed Mercedes wreckage like sharks after raw
meat", Pat Milton, Associated Press, September 2, 1997
"Diana’s Legacy on Monarchy Uncertain", Robert
Woodward, Reuters, August 31 1997.
"Not-So-Loyal Royal Subjects", Dan Balz, Washington
Post, August 13, 1997.
"Prosecutor Di’s Driver Popped Pills and Drank", Tom
Henegan, Reuters, September 2, 1997.
"Bodyguard tells judge of Diana car chase", The
Australian, 23 September, 1997
"Conspiracy Theorists Ponder Diana’s Death", Jonathan
Oatis, Reuters, September 3, 1997.
"Arab Media Hint at Diana Conspiracy", G.G. Labelle, Associated
Press Writer, September 2, 1997.
"Diana’s Unlikely Suitor", Adam
Choen, Time,
September 8, 1997, Vol 150, No. 10.
"What Money Couldn’t Buy", Marc fisher, Washington
Post, September 4, 1997.
"Our friend was no drunk, say defenders of driver’s
name", Adam Sage & Stephen Farrell, The Times, September 4, 1997.
"Diana in Love", Fred Barbash, Washington Post,
August 9, 1997.
"Egyptian press hawks conspiracy theories on princess,
Dodi’s death", Jordanian Times Newspaper, September 4, 1997.
"British Moslems sideline Religion to honour Diana", Paul
Carrel, Reuters, September 4, 1997
"Ritz Hotel tape shows Diana before crash", Anne Swardson,
Washington Post, September 6, 1997.
"Witness saw a second car flee the crash site", Associated
Press, September 21, 1997.
"Libyan group says Diana’s death planned", United
Press International, September 1, 1997.
"Death Mystery", New Weekly, September 29, 1997.
"Egyptians claim Diana assassinated", Yomna Kamel, Middle
East Times, 8 September 1997.
Susan
Bryce is an investigative journalist and researcher whose interests
includes issues which affect individual freedom, environmental health,
surveillance technology and global politics. She can be contacted
c/- Mapleton Post Office, QLD 4560
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