The paparazzi were not to blame for the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
That is the verdict of the 832 page Lord Stevens report, three years in the making, released today.
Speaking in central London before the nation’s media, Lord Stevens said: “This was a tragic accident. There was no conspiracy to murder. In relation to the paparazzi we are not putting guilt in any area. A crash of this sort is similar to an air crash – take any link out of the chain and it would not have happened.”
One of several conspiracy theories surrounding the death of the Princess of Wales, her boyfriend Dodi al Fayed and the car’s driver Henry Paul, was that a white Fiat Punto driven by French photojournalist James Andanson clipped their black Mercedes causing them to crash into a pillar in an underpass outside Paris.
This theory was ruled out by Lord Stevens today who said that a white Punto did collide with the couple’s black Mercedes but that a French police investigation confirmed Andanson was at home with his wife at the time of the crash.
Andanson committed suicide in 2000.
The driver of the Mercedes, Henri Paul, was thought to be driving at etween 61 to 63 mph while being followed by newspaper photographers. Eight photographers were arrested at the scene but later released after questioning.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
