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Hi Crime House community. It's Vanessa Richardson, and if you love digging into the most gripping true crime stories, then you need to listen to another Crime House original Crimes of with Sabrina, Deanna Roga and Corinne Vien. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Sabrina and Corinne have been covering the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains and and this month they'll be diving into the paranormal. Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. This is crime house. In October 1993, Princess Diana wrote a letter to her former butler, Paul Burrel. In it, she made a chilling prediction. Quote I am sitting here at my desk today in October, longing for someone to hug me and encourage me to keep strong and hold my head high. This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous. My husband is planning an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to make Mary. End quote. Nearly four years later, on August 31, 1997, her car smashed into a concrete pillar in Paris, killing her. That letter wouldn't surface for another six years, until 2003. And when it did, it breathed new life into a question that had consumed millions. Was Diana's death an accident? Was or was she murdered? From UFO cults and mass suicides to secret CIA experiments, presidential assassinations, and murderous doctors, these aren't just theories. They're real stories that blur the line between fact and fiction. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Conspiracy Theories, Cults and a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Every Wednesday, I'll explore the real people at the center of the world's most shocking events and nefarious organizations. These cases are wild, and I want to hear what you think at the end of each episode. Leave a comment wherever you listen. Be sure to rate, review and follow so we can continue building this community together. And for early ad free access to every episode plus exclusive bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. Today I'm discussing the life and death of Princess Diana, mother to the future King of England and one of the most famous royals in modern history. From the outside, Diana seemed like she had everything. Money, influence, and tons of adoring fans. She was a fashion icon who used her power for good, touching millions of lives and bringing much needed attention to global crises like the AIDS epidemic. But in private, Diana was struggling. She felt trapped in a loveless marriage. Surrounded by a family she didn't trust, Diana believed they wanted to hurt her. And on August 31, 1997, some say they succeeded. All that and more coming up.
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Three month plan $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com all these years later, everyone still thinks they know who Princess Diana was. For two decades, her face was plastered on every magazine. Tabloids reported breathlessly on her every move. Whatever Diana did, the world wanted to know about it. Along the way, the public had crafted their own image of Diana, One that painted her as a simple girl plucked from obscurity. But in reality, Diana's life was more complicated than the boxes people put her in. Diana Francis Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, to one of England's most respected families. The Spencers weren't just upper class. They'd been close to the royal family for over 200 years. Despite all this privilege, Diana's childhood was far from perfect. She later described her early years as sad. A lot of that probably had to do with her parents marriage. As a young girl, Diana watched their relationship crumble. In 1968, when she was seven, things culminated in a nasty divorce. Luckily, Diana didn't have to deal with the fallout on her own. She had two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, and a younger brother named Charles. And they were all pretty close. Besides her siblings, Diana found comfort in nature. Her nanny remembered her as a polite tree climbing tomboy. When she wasn't running around outside Diana, Diana obsessed over her pet guinea pig and romance novels. It seemed like she preferred getting lost in imaginary worlds to studying. Diana struggled in school, not because she wasn't smart, but because she was easily distracted. It was difficult for her to commit to things. This was true for most of her extracurricular activities too. For example, at one point she wanted to become a ballet dancer. But after realizing the level of discipline it would require, she quit. The one thing she could commit to was volunteering. When her teachers asked for student volunteers at a hospital for people with disabilities, she threw her Hand up. This was the true Diana. More than textbooks and coursework, she cared about people. Maybe it was a way to escape her own problems and insecurities. But she never seemed more alive than when she was helping others. And she had a real gift for active listening. When the patients at the hospital spoke to Diana, they felt like she truly understood them. That didn't mean Diana planned to make a career out of activism. According to her nanny, Diana's biggest dream was to marry a handsome man and have lots of kids. It was her own fairy tale ending. She even knew who she wanted her husband to be. Charles, the Prince of Wales. From the time she was 13 or 14, she idolized him. Her classmates remembered she had a photo of him on her wall. Charles was 26 at the time and a lot of young girls had a crush on him. He was often photographed in his military uniform, diving from airplanes or posing with models and pop stars. He was rich, good looking and the future King of England. But unlike those other girls, the Diana actually stood a chance of meeting him. That's because Charles was already friends with her 22 year old sister Sarah. And Diana was determined to make the most of Sarah's connection. In November 1977, Charles accepted an invitation from Diana's father to go bird hunting at Althorpe, a 13,000acre estate that belonged to the Spencer family. Diana made sure she was home at the time. Charles later recalled thinking Diana was jolly and bouncy and found her amusing and cute for a 16 year old. But for Diana it was a dream come true. She was actually talking to her celebrity crush. There was just one problem. Charles was in love with someone else. 30 year old Camilla Shand. Charles had first met camilla back in 1970 at a polo match. The connection was instant. They dated for about two years. But in 1972 Charles was deployed as an officer in the Royal Navy and the couple broke up. Camilla ended up marrying her on again, off again boyfriend, Andrew Parker Bowles. In 1973, Charles was heartbroken. He'd hoped to rekindle his romance with Camilla at some point and after losing her, it seemed like the hits just kept coming. A few Years later, in 1979, his beloved great uncle and mentor, Lord Mountbatten was assassinated. Charles was a mess in the midst of all his royal duties and obligations. He just wanted someone to care. That's when Diana's moment came. In July 1980, the 32 year old Bachelor reconnected with 19 year old Diana at a mutual friend's house after an intense game of polo Charles took a rest on a hay bale. Diana sat down next to him. Instead of the flattery and small talk that Charles was used to, Diana offered her condolences. She asked how he was coping with his great uncle's death. Charles was surprised by her compassion and authenticity. They ended up chatting for hours. Before he left, he kissed her and asked to see her again. Diana couldn't have said yes any quicker. After that, their relationship was a whirlwind. Their first real date was a concert at the Royal Albert hall, followed by dinner at Buckingham palace. Then in September 1980 two months after sharing their first kiss, he invited her on a trip to meet his family at their castle in Balmoral, Scotland. Everyone found her absolutely charming. She was funny, beautiful and clearly cared about Charles. As far as Queen Elizabeth was concerned, Diana was a great match for her son. Unlike Camila, Diana was from a prestigious house with deep ties to the crown. Plus, Diana was pretty and a virgin. All important qualifications for the mother of a future monarch. By Diana's third visit to Balmoral in October, everyone was urging Charles to propose. But on February 6, 1981, he popped the question with an 18 karat white gold ring topped with sapphires and diamonds. Diana didn't hesitate. She said yes. But internally she had her doubts. Everything was happening so fast. They'd been dating for seven months and by Diana's own account had only met in person 13 times. And most of their so called dates were in the presence of family members. Diana had dreamed about being Charles bride for years. But now that it was actually happening, she wasn't so sure. There was still so much she didn't know about him. Even though he was very charming, he could also be selfish. He was a future king after all, and used to getting his way. Except when it came to his parents. He never seemed to live up to his father's expectations. And his mother was always cold. Once, after they'd been apart for several months, Queen Elizabeth greeted him with a handshake. Diana didn't understand any of these dynamics when she first got engaged. She also didn't know anything about Charles's history with Camilla. When she found out, she was understandably jealous. It was a lot to process, but Diana had made a commitment and she was prepared to honor it. On July 29, 1981, 20 year old Diana married 32 year old Charles. She walked down the aisle of St. Paul's Cathedral in a silk gown with a 25 foot train adorned with 10,000 pearls and sequins. 3,500 guests packed the church while an estimated 750 million people around the world tuned in to watch on TV. That was a full 16% of the global population at the time. After the ceremony, the newlyweds climbed aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia for what was supposed to be the happiest weeks of their lives. It wasn't. As the ship set sail, Diana realized this wasn't going to be a fun, relaxing honeymoon. She was told she had to attend formal dinners every night. Church services on the yacht were not optional. And now that Diana and Charles were husband and wife, they realized just how different they were. Charles liked peace and quiet. He enjoyed painting, fishing and reading. Meanwhile, Diana loved adventure and meeting new people. When Charles lost himself in poetry, she thought he was avoiding her. She rebelled by starting fights and accusing him of being selfish. One time, she smashed the watercolor paintings he'd been preoccupied with on what was supposed to be their romantic honeymoon. Another time, she dumped a bucket of water on his head. No one but Diana would have dared to do something like that. Royals were supposed to carry themselves with a strong, superhuman kind of poise. One that prized discretion, neutrality and dignity above all else. But Diana was impulsive and unpredictable. And once the couple returned to the United Kingdom and the honeymoon was over, the whole world got the chance to see her true colors. Unlike her husband and his family, they loved Diana for it. When she and Charles toured Australia and New Zealand in 1983, huge crowds swarmed them. And it wasn't because they wanted to see Charles. They were enamored with Diana. While other royals were stiff, Diana would crouch down to speak with children and spend time with elderly and disabled people. She spoke with unhoused people living in the slums and held babies afflicted by disease. She also used her celebrity to shine a spotlight on causes others ignored. In 1987, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, 25 year old Diana visited the first UK AIDS ward at Middlesex Hospital. She famously shook hands with one of the patients without wearing gloves. Diana once said she wanted to be a queen of people's hearts. She accomplished that and looked good doing it. That's the other thing most people remember about Diana. Her style. When people saw her in a pinstripe suit, shimmering blue dress, or even a simple crew neck sweater and biker shorts, they went out and bought the same outfit. All that publicity was great for bringing attention to the causes she cared about. But it wasn't so good for her marriage. On their tours, Prince Charles would give an important speech, only to learn that most of the news coverage was about Diana's accessories. Charles couldn't understand it. He was the heir to the throne. He was born for the spotlight. But for some reason, it shone much brighter on his wife, and he resented her for it. As Diana's fame eclipsed his, their relationship continued to fracture. The two were on a collision course, and the whole world was about to watch them explode.
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As Diana rose to fame as the people's princess, the reality of her situation started to set in. When she toured the world with her husband, Prince Charles, she exuded kindness, compassion and, most of all, hope. The truth couldn't have been more different. Diana's personal life was marred by anxiety, depression, depression and an eating disorder called bulimia nervosa. The enormous pressure to look perfect spiraled into binge eating and vomiting that wreaked havoc on her body and left her feeling ashamed. It also amplified the resentment she felt towards Charles, whose offhand comments about her weight only fueled her insecurities. They were trapped in a vicious cycle that neither of them could break. While Diana thought that Charles wanted to change her, he simply didn't understand why she was angry. Whenever one of them would try to do something nice for the other, it was always misinterpreted as some kind of insult. Things improved a bit when Diana got pregnant. Her two boys, Prince William and Prince Harry, were born in 1982 and 1984. Diana later said that during her pregnancy with Harry, she and Prince Charles were quite, quote, the closest we've ever been. But even that happiness was brief. According to Diana, Charles wanted his second child to be a girl. When he laid eyes on Harry, he supposedly said, quote, oh, God, it's a boy. Charles denied that happened, but Diana later said this was the moment she knew their marriage was over. Normally, that would be when one of them asked for a divorce, but of course, this wasn't a normal situation. Up until the 20th century, members of the royal family almost never got divorced. While it wasn't explicitly forbidden, the Church of England didn't look too kindly on the idea. That's because British monarchs aren't just the official heads of state. They're also the heads of the Anglican Church. Marriage was seen as a pact before God, and therefore permanent members of the royal family would have had to petition Parliament to get a divorce. In fact, the church didn't even let royals remarry while their former spouse was alive until 2022. That all may seem a bit ironic given the narratives surrounding Henry VIII's rationale for breaking from Roman Catholicism in the first place. But a lot had changed since 1534. So Diana and Charles did what most most unhappy royals did in similar circumstances. They took lovers. Supposedly. Charles resumed his relationship with Camila Shand, now Camila Parker Bowles, in 1986, though Diana claimed it was earlier, around 1983. Meanwhile, in the summer of 1986, 25 year old Diana began an affair with a 28 year old cavalry officer named Ms. Major James Hewitt. What started as innocent writing lessons quickly became an intimate five year affair that only ended when James was deployed for the Persian Gulf War. By the late 1980s, Charles and Diana essentially lived separate lives. They maintained different schedules, vacationed on their own, and only communicated when royal duties demanded it. In the fall of 1987, Diana. British tabloids speculated they hadn't slept in the same palace for weeks. Their relationship continued like this for the next five years. Then, in 1992, things reached a boiling point. That year, journalist Andrew Morton published an explosive biography titled Her True Story. The book revealed intimate details, details about her bulimia, mental health struggles and Charles affair with Camila. Though Diana publicly denied involvement, she'd secretly provided hours of tape recorded interviews to Morton. For the Royal family, this was a bridge too far. On December 9, 1992, Prime Minister John Major announced their separation to the House of Commons. It wasn't legally binding like a divorce, but it signaled to the world that their marriage was officially over. But the scandal was just beginning. In January 1993, someone leaked an explicit phone conversation between Charles and Camila. Charles PR team reacted by booking him a candid interview for a documentary in 1994. The goal was to humanize him, refute some of Diana's accusations and reassure the public that he would still make a good king. It might have worked, except Charles admitted to his affair with Camilla on camera. When people learned that Diana had been telling the truth, it drowned out any good press he may have received. Things only got worse for Charles the following year when Diana gave her explosive interview for the BBC show Panorama. And in it she admitted to her own affair with James Hewitt, which had ended a few years prior. The public was Less concerned about that and more concerned with what else she said in her interview, Diana mounted a direct attack on Charles's legitimacy. She said that based on what she knew about him, she wasn't sure he was fit to rule. And she saved the most quotable line for Camilla. She said, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded. Four weeks later, Queen Elizabeth wrote separate letters to Diana and Charles. She told them the war must end. As repulsed as she was by the idea, the two needed an official divorce. On August 28, 1996, their divorce was finalized in a courthouse. Like any other couple, as part of their settlement, Diana agreed to a 17 million pound payout. In exchange, she lost the right to be called Her Royal Highness. Finally, after years of scandal and bitter PR warfare, Diana was free to live her life as she wanted. Or so she thought. Divorced or not, the public was hungry for gossip about her and every image or article was worth the serious money. The sun tabloid newspaper could sell an additional 60,000 copies on any day. They featured even a small Diana story. Because of that, the paparazzi could be incredibly aggressive, sometimes tripping her as they crowded around with their cameras. They also tried to provoke her by shouting insults and telling her to take her clothes off. She tried to make the most of the attention by continuing to promote charitable causes on her own. She spoke candidly about her struggles with bulimia in the hope of drawing attention to the millions of people who suffered from eating disorders. She got involved with the Red Cross and made a huge splash in January 1997 when she walked through a minefield in Angola wearing a flak jacket and a protective visor. However, the publicity took a huge toll on her personal life and she dated a few men after her separation from Charles. But the relationships were always brief. Most guys simply couldn't handle seeing their faces in the newspaper and being hunted by paparazzi. Except for one man, a handsome playboy named Dodi Fayed. Diana's path to Dodi Fayed began with his father, Mohammed. The Egyptian billionaire was obsessed with British aristocracy, which is partly why he'd purchased the famous Harrods department store in London. 36 year old Diana was there in July 1997 when she met Mohammed. He obviously knew who Diana was and turned on the charm. After chatting for a while, Mohammed invited Diana and her children to join his family for a vacation in Saint Tropez in the south of France. On July 15, Mohammed called his 42 year old son Dodie and said he should come too. Dodie was a Film producer who'd spent much of his life spending his father's money on cars, women and drugs. But he was also charming, affectionate and a good listener. He must have known Muhammad was trying to set him up with the former princess. There was just one problem. Dodie was engaged to an American model named Kelly Fisher. But that didn't seem to matter much. After Muhammad's call, Dodi lied to Kelly and said he was going to London. Instead, he flew to Saint Tropez. Diana and Dodi had an instant connection with him. She could finally relax and be herself, a feeling that was extremely rare in her life. At the end of July, after William and Harry left for their summer vacation with Prince Charles at Balmoral, Diana. Diana continued seeing Dodi. They returned to the French Riviera on August 23, where paparazzi snapped a picture of them kissing aboard Muhammad's yacht. During this second trip, Diana and Dodi visited Monaco, where they went to the Reposi jewelry boutique. They spent four or five minutes there, during which Dodi selected an exquisite diamond encrusted dome ring for her, valued at $200,000. On August 29, 1997, Diana and Dodi flew into Paris to continue their romantic adventure. Dodi had an apartment in the city, but they were staying at the Ritz Paris Hotel, which was owned by Dodi's father. The next day started more tense than usual. Paparazzi trailed them as they made their way to Villa Windsor, a mansion and former residence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor that Mohammed had just bought in and renovated. Their driver managed to shake the photographers, but it was just the beginning of their relentless pursuit. After a tour of the gardens, they drove back to the Ritz. Along the way, Doie stopped in a Reposi showroom to pick up the ring he'd chosen for Diana in Monaco. According to Muhammad, Dodie planned to propose to Diana over dinner at the Shea Benoit restaurant that evening. However, they never made it inside. At 9:30pm a swarm of paparazzi blocked their way and the couple was forced to retreat to the Ritz. Security cameras showed Diana crying as she entered the lobby. The two went back to the Imperial Suite where they dined away from prying eyes. At some point during that time, the mood improved. One of their bodyguards heard laughter coming from inside. Around midnight, they decided to head back to Dodi's apartment where they hoped to have more privacy to slip past the cameras. They came up with a diversion. They left their two main cars at the front of the hotel and someone at the hotel called for a man named Henri Paul to meet them at the rear entrance. Henri was the acting head of security for the hotel, but tonight he was going to be their driver. At 12:20am on Aug. 31, Diana Doty, a bodyguard named Trevor Reese Jones and their driver Henri stepped out the back door. A reporter spotted them leaving. As they zoomed away in their Mercedes S280, Henri Paul shouted defiantly. Quote, you will never catch us. They were the last words he ever spoke. Spoke.
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Hi, I'm here to pick up my son, Milo. There's no Milo here. Who picked up my son from school? Streaming only on Peacock. I'm gonna need the name of everyone that could have a connection. You don't understand. It was just the five of us. So this was all planned? What, do you get it too? I will do whatever it takes to get my son back. I honestly didn't see this coming. These nice people killing each other.
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All her fault.
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A new series streaming November 6, only on Peacock. It was just after midnight on August 31, 1997. After a frustrating day of being hunted by aggressive paparazzi, Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana devised a scheme to slip past them. The couple left their two main vehicles at the Ritz Hotel and sped off in a dark Mercedes Benz. Their driver, Henri Paul, zipped through downtown Paris, going over 30 miles per hour above the speed limit. At about 12:23am Henri entered the Pond Del Alma tunnel, just down the street from the Eiffel Tower. Just then, something caused Henri Paul to veer left. It happened so fast and he didn't have time to tap the brakes. The car swerved across two lanes and slammed into a concrete pillar, going between 74 and 97 miles per hour. The paparazzi caught wind of the crash and were the first to arrive on the scene. One of them opened the door of the Mercedes and found Diana wedged between the front and back seats. She was moaning in pain and sobbing. Dodie was slumped over next to Diana, dead. Henri had also been killed. The bodyguard, Trevor Reese Jones, was badly injured, but alive. He was the only one wearing a seat belt. After Surveying the damage, a photographer left to call the police while another climbed into the car to take more pictures. Within minutes they were joined by Dr. Frederic Maye and often duty emergency physician who happened to be driving through the tunnel. He checked Diana's vitals and tried to keep her stable while waiting for the ambulance. At 12:30am Police arrived to a huge crowd. They pushed their way through to the car. Later, they arrested seven photographers for interfering with their work. The ambulance followed a few minutes later. Paramedics carefully removed Diana from the the vehicle. They didn't leave the scene until 1:25am an hour after the incident. According to authorities, first responders spent that time treating Diana. Once they were on the road, they drove slowly. It took them 30 minutes to reach the hospital. They had to stop for five minutes in the middle because Diana had a heart attack. At the er, doctors gave her adrenaline to restart her heart and and opened her chest to massage it directly. Based on her X rays, they determined her chest had been crushed when she was thrown sideways in the accident. They worked relentlessly to save her, but she was too far gone. At 4am on August 31, the 36 year old Princess was declared dead. News of Diana's death Death sent shock waves around the world. Acres of cut flowers filled the parks around Kensington palace and hundreds of thousands of people lined the grounds to mourn her passing. In contrast, it took the Royal family several days to publicly acknowledge her death. They were on vacation at Balmoral Castle. Diana's sons were there and the Queen insisted they stay until everything was sorted. Despite his history with Diana, Prince Charles seemed genuinely gutted by the news. He wanted to give Diana a royal funeral, but his mother wouldn't allow it. She insisted that because Diana was a private citizen, she would be buried as one. Still, he managed to defy her wishes by flying to France and bringing back Diana's body on a Royal pill plane. It's estimated that 2.5 billion people watched Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997. The sight of 15 year old William and 12 year old Harry walking behind their mother's coffin was heartbreaking. Following Diana's death, the French authorities conducted an extensive investigation. They concluded that the car crash was an unfortunate accident. But not everyone agreed. The loudest and most powerful critic was Dodi's father, Mohammed Al Fayed. He didn't buy the official explanation for a second. Mohammed was convinced the Royal family had hired a British intelligence service to kill Diana. He thought the French investigation was just a cover up. In 2004, Mohammed convinced the British Metropolitan Police to launch a multi year, multi million dollar investigation called Operation Padget. In Mohammed's opinion, the conspiracy was obvious. The royal family had assassinated Diana because she was carrying Dodi's child and the two were about to get married. Mohammed claimed Diana called him just one hour before, before the crash to say she was pregnant. He pointed to a photograph from July 14 showing Diana in her iconic leopard print bathing suit, which supposedly revealed a tiny baby bump. But why would Diana's pregnancy be an issue? She wasn't a princess anymore. She'd renounced all of her titles. Mohammed believed it boiled down to racism. He said the royal family could accept the idea that a Muslim might one day become a stepfather to the King of England. It's certainly tempting to buy into Muhammad's version of the story, but there are several issues with his theory. The first is the timeline. Mohammed claimed Diana was already pregnant when that photo was snapped on July 14. But that would have been right around the time she and Dodi first met. Unless the press was wrong about when their relationship started, there was no way Diana would have been showing that that quickly. And the evidence casts even more doubt on the idea. Multiple blood tests confirmed Diana wasn't pregnant at the time of the crash. And one of Diana's close friends, a woman named Rosa Monkton, claimed Diana had her period just 10 days before the crash. As for the supposed engagement, Muhammad pointed to the ring Dodi had purchased in Monaco. It is true that the piece was originally designed as an engagement ring. But the staff at the store didn't hear either of them mention marriage. And they'd only been seeing each other for a little over a month at that point. Still, it's possible that Dodi planned to propose. However, there's no evidence that she would have accepted. A week before Diana died, she told her friend Lady Annabelle Goldsmith that her two month old romance with doie was just fun. She reportedly said, quote, I need marriage like a rash on my face. Doesn't sound like a woman who wants to get married, so that particular motive doesn't check out. But that doesn't mean Diana's death was truly an accident. Diana firmly believed the royal family saw her as a liability. She knew they resented all the scandals she'd caused over the years and all the times she defied the monarchy. Years before she met Muhammad and Dodi, she already thought they were planning her demise. In 1993, she wrote to her former butler that Charles was plotting to have her killed. Then in 1995, she confided in a friend that, quote, reliable sources told her that the MI5 or MI6 intelligence services were going to stage a car accident. Diana didn't have any proof, but she was absolutely convinced of it. And two years later, it seemed her prediction came true. In fact, a former MI6 officer named Richard Tomlinson appeared to admit to it. In his 2001 memoir, he described a 1993 plan to assassinate a Balkan leader. In the end, MI6 didn't carry out the job. But the blueprint was eerily similar to what could have happened to Diana. It involved flashing a bright strobe light at a car in a tunnel. The light would temporarily blind the driver, forcing them to crash. Operation Pad's detectives took this allegation very seriously. They interviewed dozens of people, including Diana's butler, Prince Charles, and the head of intelligence for MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove. As part of their investigation, detectives were also given unprecedented access to top secret MI5 and MI6 files. If the assassin was an MI6 employee, there would have been a record of them in the files. However, the detectives didn't find anyone who was in Dodi or Diana's vicinity on the day of the crash. They also reasoned that if a strobe was used, other people in the area would have seen a flash of light. But no one did. In 2008, Operation Pad released its 832 page report. They concluded that the crash was a tragic accident. They noted that Henri Paul was intoxicated at the time, with his blood alcohol level at three times the legal limit. He also had traces of antidepressants in his system, which may have added to his intoxication. They also found that the Mercedes was being pursued by paparazzi, which is part of the reason Henri was driving so quickly. Detectives hoped the report would put an end to the rumors and conspiracy theories. At the very least, they wanted it to pacify the angry billionaire breathing down their necks. But it did neither. Muhammad dismissed the report as, quote, garbage. And the Internet continued to swirl with unanswered questions and conspiracies. One theory focused on a mysterious white car, a Fiat Uno, which two witnesses saw driving out of the tunnel just seconds after the collision. Some believe this car may have clipped Diana's Mercedes and kept driving. The police have never been able to conclusively identify the owner, though some believe it belonged to a security guard. Another theory said the paparazzi was responsible for the accident. Perhaps they blinded Henri Paul with a flashbulb. If this were true, the proof would have been in their pictures. But all the photos, the Police confiscated were taken after the accident. Which means we might never know the truth. Truth about this particular argument. There are probably dozens of other theories out there, and I want to know which one you think is most likely. Whether it's one I mentioned or something else entirely. It makes sense that people have so many opinions about what happened. After all, Diana predicted her own death at the hands of a conspiracy. And despite Operation Pad Mohammed, Al Fayed continued to believe there were darker forces at play. That fateful day, Muhammad publicly blamed the royal family until his own death in 2023. But there's something else we have to consider. Diana was larger than life. It seemed impossible that someone like her could die in such an ordinary way. For almost two decades, the world watched her every move. They gasped at every dress and whispered about every rumor. They applauded as she rebelled against the stiff customs of royal life. They saw her as a trailblazer, someone who wasn't afraid to stand against outdated traditions and forge her own path. When she died at just 36 years old, the public was desperate for answers. These the idea that the royal family had played her like a puppet seemed like a plausible explanation. And while there's nothing wrong with being curious, we should be careful not to let Diana's death overshadow her life. It's not an exaggeration to say that Diana fundamentally changed how the British monarchy operates today. The modern royal family bears Diana's imprint everywhere. William and Catherine's hands on parenting, Harry's openness about mental health struggles, the family's willingness to show emotion. It all traces back to Diana's rejection of the royal motto, never complain, never explain. In her charity work, Diana pioneered a new model of celebrity activism. She didn't just lend her name to causes. She rolled up her sleep leaves and actually got involved. Her children have carried on their mother's humanitarian legacy. William became a patron of Centerpoint, the charity for unhoused people that Diana supported and has made mental health advocacy a cornerstone of his work. Through the Heads Together Campaign, Harry founded the Invictus Games for wounded veterans and has championed HIV AIDS awareness in Africa, following in Diana's footsteps. In 2017, they honored Diana with a concert on what would have been her 46th birthday. The proceeds went to her many charities. Decades after Diana's death. Her presence is just as powerful, and we can all learn something from the way she lived her life, because she proved that empathy isn't a weakness, it's a superpower. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Come back next week. We'll decode this episode together and hear another story about the real people at the center of the world's most notorious cults, conspiracies and criminal acts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House original Powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media, Crime House on Tick Tock and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. Your favorite feedback truly makes a difference and to enhance your Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free, plus exciting bonus content. We'll be back next Wednesday. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson and is a Crime House original. Powered by Paves Studios. This episode was brought to life by the Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertovsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Xander Bernstein, Spencer Howard and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening.