Henri Paul: A Drunken Game?

Dateline: 01/07/98

The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, may have been the result of a game being played in the drunken mind of driver Henri Paul.

Henri Paul Bar-Hopping Driver? The man who drove Princess Diana to her death may have started bar-hopping at 4 o'clock that afternoon. Investigation Hits Snag The investigation into the auto crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, ran into a stumbling block when the lone survivor said he can't remember anything about it. Hotel to Face Charges? French authorities may be considering filing charges against the Paris Ritz Hotel while Henry Paul's former employers continue to try to distance themselves from responsibility. Blood Alcohol Content The latest blood test shows that Paul was not only drunk, he was also taking an antidepressant drug and may have stopped taking one prescribed for alcohol abuse. Antidepressants and Alcohol Diane Hunter examines the potency of this very dangerous "cocktail." Conflicting Reports In the early stages of the investigation, conflicting reports and finger-pointing dominated.

A new report from Reuters said that Paul tipped off waiting photographers that Diana was about to leave the Ritz Hotel.

The allegation was revealed in a report given last month to investigating magistrate Herve Stephan, who is leading the probe into the causes of the Aug. 31 crash, which also killed Diana's companion Dodi Al Fayed and Paul himself, the report said.

According to sources close to the investigation, Paul emerged from the hotel shortly before driving off with Diana and Al Fayed to tell the photographers they would be leaving in about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph in London is quoting a Ritz Hotel employee saying the hotel management knew that Henri Paul, the drunken driver of the Mercedes, was a habitual drinker. He claimed that the hotel had put pressure on him to conceal this fact from investigators. Hotel officials have denied the charge, but the investigation now seems to be focused solely on the liability of the Ritz.

Diana and Al Fayed had been dining at the hotel and were headed for an apartment Al Fayed owned in western Paris. Photographers who told police about Paul's tip-off were backed up by employees of the Ritz, the sources said.

This account is significant because it appears to support photographers' accounts that their relations were relaxed rather than tense with the members of Diana's party, and that they were merely doing their jobs when they followed the car.

Earlier that day, Paul, driving a black Range Rover, met Diana and Fayed at Le Bourget airport at 3:15 p.m., where they had flown in a private jet from Sardinia. Diana and Fayed rode from the airport in a Mercedes driven by Fayed's regular chauffeur, Philippe Dourneau, followed by Paul.

After the trip from the airport, Paul congratulated Dourneau on losing the paparazzi, a source close to the investigation quoted Dourneau as telling police.

After the couple arrived at the Hotel, Paul believed that he was off duty for the rest of the day. According to witnesses, Paul then spent the next several hours drinking in various Paris bars before being summoned back to the Hotel. He continued to drink in the Hotel lounge after arriving back at work.

Deadly Mind Game?

According to the most recent interview with bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, sole survivor of the crash, Paul was called back to drive the couple while the regular chauffeur was sent ahead as a decoy to fool the photographers.

Drunk Driving The Dangers The likelihood of a driver having an accident is increased with each drink he takes. The Penalties In case you haven't noticed, the penalties for drinking and driving have been getting tougher. The Effects Links to internet resources about the risks of drinking and driving and society's reaction.

If Paul's sole purpose for being back at the Hotel was to secret the couple away from the waiting photographers, then why would he tip those same drivers to the departure time?

Could it be that in his obviously drunken state he was playing some sort of game in his mind? Did he imagine that he was going to impress his boss and Princess Diana by losing the paparazzi in the Paris night, just as Dourneau had done earlier that afternoon?

Tragically, this latest news release, seems to indicate that was the case. Although French authorities have explored several avenues in their investigation of the crash and with the fact-finding phase of the probe virtually at an end after four months, investigators say they believe that speed and drink were to blame, according to Reuters.

Another irony in the case is the fact that it was Dodie Al Fayed himself who specifically requested that Paul be called back to the Hotel to drive the couple, according to bodyguard Rees-Jones. It was a fatal mistake.

Fiat on the Grassy Knoll

French police have launched a massive search for some 40,000 Fiat Unos registered in France and have still to check some 15,000 Fiats in hopes of finding a second vehicle that was alledgedly involved in the crash.

But one wag called the investigation of the mysterious vehicle, the search for the "Fiat on the Grassy Knoll," alluding to conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Although the Fayed family has done everything in its power to place the blame on the chasing photographers and the illusive second vehicle, the investigation seems to be pointing directly at one of the Hotel's own employees as the sole cause of the tragedy.

Now with the estate of Princess Diana threatening suit against the Hotel for $13 million, it is easy to see why the Fayed family is eager to point the finger of blame in another direction.

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