There are a handful of stories in everybody’s life that are major enough for you to remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. For all of those old enough to remember it, one of those stories broke on August 31st 1997, when Diana, Princess of Wales, died of the injuries she sustained in a Paris car wreck.
She was 36 years old, and left behind two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry.
Diana’s partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were both pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
The crash happened at 12:23 am, and the death of Princess Diana was declared at 4 am. For those working in the British media, journalists worked through the night to bring updated front pages to the still-sleeping public before they woke up.
Princess Diana’s death was first announced to the public by anesthesiologist Bruno Riou, who held a press conference at 6 am outside the hospital where she had died.
25 years on, the story still commands global attention in a way that few others do.
The Sunday Telegraph / The Guardian
Sunday Mirror / New York Daily News
The Sydney Monring Herald / News Of The World
The Los Angeles Times / The Express
The New York Times
The Sun
Last year, a report was released showing that a BBC Journalist had lied to get an infamous 1995 interview with Princess Diana. The report showed that Martin Bashir had shown Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, fake bank statements so that he would set up a meeting between the journalist and Diana.