Operation Paget was the British Metropolitan Police inquiry established in 2004 to investigate the conspiracy theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash on 31 August 1997 in Paris. The inquiry's first report with the findings of the criminal investigation was published in 2006. The inquiry was wound up following the conclusion of the British inquest in 2008, in which a jury delivered its verdict of an "unlawful killing" due to the "gross negligence" of both the driver of Diana's car and the pursuing paparazzi.[1][2]
The coroner's inquest opened on 2 October 2007, headed by Lord Justice Scott Baker. The opening statement mostly consisted of evidence and findings in the criminal investigation report. On 7 April 2008, the jury came to the verdict that Diana and Fayed were unlawfully killed as a result of "gross negligence" of the driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi.[2] Paparazzi were aggressively following the car, trying to photograph Diana and Dodi. Witnesses said they contributed to the driver’s attempt to escape at excessive speed. Their Mercedes crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. Contributing factors cited included "the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes Henri Paul through alcohol" and that "the deceased was not wearing a seatbelt".[3]
References
1. Rayner, Gordon (7 April 2008). "Diana jury blames paparazzi and Henri Paul for her 'unlawful killing'". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2022
2. "Princess Diana unlawfully killed". BBC. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
3. "Coroner's Inquest into the Deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr Dodi Al Fayed. Hearing transcripts: 7 April 2008 – Verdict of the jury". The National Archives (United Kingdom). Archived from the original on 7 June 2009.
