Operation Paget
Encyclopedia
Operation Paget was the Metropolitan Police
inquiry, led by Lord Stevens, that investigated the conspiracy theories surrounding the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales
and Dodi Al-Fayed
on 31 August 1997.
Its first report with the findings of the criminal investigation was published on 14 December 2006. The inquiry was wound-up following the conclusion of the British Inquest into the deaths in April 2008.
, Michael Burgess, asked then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Stevens to conduct enquiries into allegations of a cover-up
and conspiracy: that MI6, under the orders of Royal Family
(particularly Prince Philip and Diana's former husband Prince Charles), deliberately caused the fatal car crash in Paris, France that killed Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997.
The investigation was legally necessary; once the inquest into the deaths got under way in the United Kingdom, it became apparent to the Coroner that allegations were being made that a crime had taken place on UK soil: namely, conspiracy to murder. Coroners are legally obliged to refer to the police any information or evidence that comes before them concerning a suspected or actual crime.
The basis of the investigation was public statements made mainly by Dodi's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed. The investigation initially was confined to the general premise of the alleged conspiracy, but was eventually broadened to cover every associated allegation made through the media, in legal submissions, and in formal correspondence since the crash.
The level of detail of the investigation is reflected in the report's length at 832 pages which took a team of fourteen experienced police officers nearly three years to compile. Accident Investigation experts from TRL assisted the police enquiry. Because of public interest in Diana, the Metropolitan Police decided to publish the report on the internet, although it had been drafted as an internal police document.
The criminal investigation had a final cost of 3.69 million pounds (US$7.27 million).
The script for the 2007 television docudrama
Diana: Last Days of a Princess
borrowed heavily from testimony in the Paget report.
, Baroness Butler-Sloss decided to grant access to the evidence collected by the criminal investigation to lawyers for Mohammed Al-Fayed to assist them in putting together their case in support of the conspiracy allegation for the inquest to begin in October 2007. On 15 May 2007, it was revealed by Baroness Butler-Sloss that the underlying material collected by the criminal investigation team runs to more than 11,000 pages when printed out and also consists of more than 1400 photographs, several DVDs, large-sized plans and other data. The material has substantially been disclosed to the interested persons and legal teams.
On 7 April 2008, the jury came to the verdict that both Diana and Dodi were unlawfully killed as a result of "gross negligence" of driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi. Contributing factors cited included "the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes [Henri Paul] through alcohol" and that none of those who died were wearing seatbelts.
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
inquiry, led by Lord Stevens, that investigated the conspiracy theories surrounding the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and Dodi Al-Fayed
Dodi Al-Fayed
Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Fayed , known as Dodi Fayed , was an Egyptian film producer. He was best known internationally as the boyfriend of Diana, Princess of Wales, with whom he died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris along with driver Henri Paul on 31 August...
on 31 August 1997.
Its first report with the findings of the criminal investigation was published on 14 December 2006. The inquiry was wound-up following the conclusion of the British Inquest into the deaths in April 2008.
Background to Inquiry
The criminal investigation was initiated in January, 2004 when the Coroner of the Queen's HouseholdCoroner of the Queen's Household
The Coroner of the King's/Queen's Household is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, Michael Burgess, asked then Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Stevens to conduct enquiries into allegations of a cover-up
Cover-up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrong-doing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information...
and conspiracy: that MI6, under the orders of Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
(particularly Prince Philip and Diana's former husband Prince Charles), deliberately caused the fatal car crash in Paris, France that killed Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997.
The investigation was legally necessary; once the inquest into the deaths got under way in the United Kingdom, it became apparent to the Coroner that allegations were being made that a crime had taken place on UK soil: namely, conspiracy to murder. Coroners are legally obliged to refer to the police any information or evidence that comes before them concerning a suspected or actual crime.
The basis of the investigation was public statements made mainly by Dodi's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed. The investigation initially was confined to the general premise of the alleged conspiracy, but was eventually broadened to cover every associated allegation made through the media, in legal submissions, and in formal correspondence since the crash.
The level of detail of the investigation is reflected in the report's length at 832 pages which took a team of fourteen experienced police officers nearly three years to compile. Accident Investigation experts from TRL assisted the police enquiry. Because of public interest in Diana, the Metropolitan Police decided to publish the report on the internet, although it had been drafted as an internal police document.
The criminal investigation had a final cost of 3.69 million pounds (US$7.27 million).
Summary of Criminal Investigation Report
The criminal investigation report's chapter titles are:- Introduction
- Chapter One- Relationship / Engagement / PregnancyPregnancyPregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
(Alleged motives for the conspiracy) - Chapter Two- Perceived Threats to Diana, Princess Of WalesDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
- Chapter Three- Actions of the PaparazziPaparazziPaparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
in Paris - Chapter Four- Henri PaulHenri PaulHenri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
- Hôtel Ritz ParisHôtel Ritz ParisThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
Security Officer and driver of the Mercedes - Chapter Five- CCTV / (traffic cameras) in Paris
- Chapter Six- Mercedes Car
- Chapter Seven- Blocking Vehicles / Unidentified Vehicles / Bright Flashes (The Journey to the Alma Underpass)
- Chapter Eight- Post-Crash Medical Treatment of Diana
- Chapter Nine- The EmbalmingEmbalmingEmbalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decomposition and to make them suitable for public display at a funeral. The three goals of embalming are thus sanitization, presentation and preservation of a corpse to achieve this...
of the Body of the Princess of Wales at the Pitié-Salpêtrière HospitalPitié-Salpêtrière HospitalThe Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital is a teaching hospital located in Paris, France. Part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, it is one of Europe's largest hospitals... - Chapter Ten- Actions of the French Authorities
- Chapter Eleven- Actions of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office / British Embassy, Paris
- Chapter Twelve- British Authorities Actions with regard to 'Suspicious Deaths'
- Chapter Thirteen- BodyguardBodyguardA bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s of Mohamed Al Fayed (Trevor Rees-Jones, Kieran Wingfield and Reuben Murrell) - Chapter Fourteen- ‘James’ Andanson – French Photo-journalist and owner of a White Fiat UnoFiat UnoThe Fiat Uno is a supermini car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat. The Uno was launched in 1983 and built in its homeland until 1995, with production still taking place in other countries.-First series :...
- Chapter Fifteen- Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
/National Security AgencyNational Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
, USA - Chapter Sixteen- The Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Security Service (MI5MI5The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
)
Conclusion of Criminal Investigation Report
Each chapter of the report concluded that all allegations made since the crash of conspiracy were without foundation and all the evidence obtained point to the deaths being the result of a tragic accident.The script for the 2007 television docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Diana: Last Days of a Princess
Diana: Last Days of a Princess
Diana: Last Days of a Princess is a television movie broadcast in the United States by TLC on August 12, 2007 and subsequent dates. It also has aired on Five, UKTV History, UKTV Drama in Great Britain, RTÉ in Ireland, ProSieben in Germany, TF1 in France, RTP in Portugal, Channel 7 Australia,...
borrowed heavily from testimony in the Paget report.
Later developments
On 3 April 2007, the acting Coroner of the Queen's HouseholdCoroner of the Queen's Household
The Coroner of the King's/Queen's Household is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, Baroness Butler-Sloss decided to grant access to the evidence collected by the criminal investigation to lawyers for Mohammed Al-Fayed to assist them in putting together their case in support of the conspiracy allegation for the inquest to begin in October 2007. On 15 May 2007, it was revealed by Baroness Butler-Sloss that the underlying material collected by the criminal investigation team runs to more than 11,000 pages when printed out and also consists of more than 1400 photographs, several DVDs, large-sized plans and other data. The material has substantially been disclosed to the interested persons and legal teams.
Coroner's Inquest
The coroner's inquest opened on 2 October 2007, headed by Lord Justice Scott Baker. The opening statement was largely made up of evidence and findings in the criminal investigation report.On 7 April 2008, the jury came to the verdict that both Diana and Dodi were unlawfully killed as a result of "gross negligence" of driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi. Contributing factors cited included "the impairment of the judgment of the driver of the Mercedes [Henri Paul] through alcohol" and that none of those who died were wearing seatbelts.