Princess Diana’s life and death has probably been the subject of more gossip than Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan combined. Now, the verdict has finally been reached at the latest inquiry into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed in the Alma Tunnel in France. It is consistent with the French inquiry into the accident and finds the paparazzi and chauffeur responsible:

Following three-and-a-half days of deliberation, the inquest jury has returned a majority verdict of unlawful killing through gross negligence with the shared blame resting between chauffeur Henri Paul and the paparazzi.

The jury had been told by the Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker that such a verdict effectively implicated manslaughter.

The findings come ten-and-a-half years after Diana, Dodi and Henri Paul died after the Mercedes they were travelling in crashed into a pillar in the Alma Tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997.

Contributing to their deaths, the jury found, were the fact that neither Diana nor Dodi were wearing a seatbelt, and the fact Mr Paul had been drink-driving.

They also singled out the paparazzi’s speed and manner of driving as factors.

Sydney Morning Herald

There have been many conspiracy theories about the accident, mostly that the British intelligence agency M16 was involved or acting under the orders of the Royal Family.

The other theories disproved by the investigation are that Diana was pregnant (she wasn’t), and that she and Dodi were engaged (nope, that wasn’t true either). It doesn’t matter how deep the investigations probe, or how many inquiries are held, not everyone will believe the results.

Dodi Al-Fayed’s father, Harrods owner Mohammed Al-Fayed has previously been the main source of the alternate theories, and it has been suggested that he will appeal the verdict. He has two memorials in his London department store, one of which has a wine glass that Diana drank from, containing an ‘engagement’ ring Dodi had bought the day before their deaths.

The inquiry cost the British taxpayer £10 million, and took 93 days of a jury sitting to come to the verdict. They are now excused from further jury duty for life, if they desire.

The best that can come out of the inquiry is this: If you drink and drive, speed, and don’t wear a seatbelt, an accident is likely to occur. It doesn’t matter how important you are, it can happen to anyone.

Some details from Wikipedia.

It may have taken ten years for the inquiry into Princess Diana’s death to even start, probably because there wasn’t really a need for one. She was once a royal, but she did her duty – produced heirs for the throne. She was basically famous for being famous, and supporting worthy causes. One of the major controversies surrounding her death may have been solved. It turns out she wasn’t pregnant, according to evidence given at the British inquiry into the car crash by pathologist Robert Chapman.

“An established pregnancy will show one a change in the size of the uterus, a change in the thickness of the lining and presence of a gestation sac — an embryo with membranes — attached to the wall of the uterus, and there will be changes also in the appearance of the ovaries.”

“Were any of these indications present here?” counsel to the inquest Nicholas Hilliard asked.

“No,” Chapman said.

[Sydney Morning Herald]

Apparently it is standard practice to examine a woman of childbearing age’s womb and ovaries.

But the pathologist doesn’t rule out that she could have been less than 14 days pregnant. Of course, it is unlikely that Diana herself would have known she was pregnant in those early stages either.

“Certainly from day one to seven there could not or would not be anything to see,” he said.

“From day seven to 14 you might see something. Thereafter there is an increasing likelihood of being able to see things which would indicate pregnancy.”

Dodi’s own father Mohammed Al Fayed believed that the princess was pregnant and that Dodi and Diana were killed in a plot orchestrated by Prince Phillip and the British intelligence service M16. Two such conspiracy theorists were in the court, but were removed after causing a disruption.

The other big conspiracy was that Dodi and Diana were engaged to be married, and that she was going to reveal this outside the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which is why the photographers were there to chase her into that fateful tunnel. Or possibly she was going to announce the pregnancy. Which hardly seems likely – surely Diana would have given the exclusive to Hello magazine. Or done another Panorama interview.

Note by Celebitchy: I do think there’s more to this story than a simple car crash. Princess Diana wrote a letter 10 months before her death saying that factions were planning a car accident for her to clear the way for Charles to remarry. She may not have been pregnant, but it’s pretty suspicious that she died in the way she predicted.