New blood tests done on Henri Paul, who was at the wheel of the car carrying Princess Diana when it crashed, show he had been drinking for at least a week and had been on prescription drugs for months, judicial sources told CNN and other news agencies Tuesday.
The new toxicological analyses, ordered by Judge Herve Stephan, show "moderate chronic alcoholism for at least a week" before the crash, judicial sources said on condition of anonymity.
These new this seem to support the theory that I expressed here in a September 10, 1997 article, after earlier blood tests showed that Henri Paul's blood contained "sub-therapeutic levels" of tiapride -- a drug commonly used in the treatment of alcoholics.
The the earlier article I said that lower levels of tiapride, usually given to someone trying to quit drinking, might indicate that Paul was being treated for alcoholism, but had fallen "off the wagon" and stopped taking the medication .
The test results released Tuesday, determined from hair analyses, indicated that Paul had been taking Prozac since May and tiapride since July.
I also pointed out in the early story that if Paul was in fact being treated for a long-time drinking problem, that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for his employers and fellow employees not to know about it.
His previous treatment for alcoholism would explain why originally his employers and his mother adamantly denied that he was drinking on the night of the crash that killed Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and Paul. And why they demanded additional blood tests be made after the initial ones indicated a felony level of alcohol content.
The people closest to Henri Paul simply believed that he had stopped drinking, or was trying to quit. Only when the further tests were conducted were their worse fears realized -- he was drinking again and covering it up.
The new test results back up conclusions reached by the elite force of French police who have been investigating the case. According to CNN news, they had concluded that Paul had been drinking for several days following problems in a personal relationship.
