Nearly three decades after the fatal collision that claimed the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, a retired member of the French security forces has come forward with a detailed recollection of the chaotic scene in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997. In an exclusive interview with French outlet Le Parisien, the officer, speaking under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, described observing two unmarked vehicles – one silver and one black – positioned unusually close to Diana’s Mercedes S280 as it entered the underpass. His observations, he claims, were documented in an internal report but never surfaced in the public inquiries that followed.

The officer, a 68-year-old former traffic surveillance specialist with the French National Police, was stationed near the Place de la Concorde that evening, monitoring high-profile movements in the city center. Diana, then 36, had been dining at the Ritz Hotel with her companion Dodi Fayed, the son of Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed. The couple, along with driver Henri Paul and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, departed the hotel around midnight in a bid to evade pursuing photographers. What began as a routine evasion escalated into tragedy when the Mercedes, traveling at speeds estimated between 95 and 120 km/h, lost control and struck the 13th pillar of the tunnel.

“I was in position about 500 meters from the tunnel entrance,” the officer recounted, his voice steady but laced with the weight of years unspoken. “The Mercedes passed us at high speed, and right behind it, I saw these two cars. The silver one was a compact sedan, perhaps a Renault, hugging the left lane. The black one was larger, like an executive model – staying parallel, almost as if coordinating. They weren’t paparazzi vehicles; no cameras, no erratic swerving. It was deliberate positioning.” He emphasized that the cars appeared to be maintaining a tactical distance, neither overtaking nor falling back excessively, which struck him as professional rather than frenzied.

According to the officer, he radioed his observations to superiors immediately after the crash was reported, just after 12:25 a.m. His notes, he says, included license plate sketches and approximate makes, but the details were deemed peripheral by investigators focused on the Mercedes’ speed and Paul’s blood alcohol level – later measured at 1.74 grams per liter, three times the legal limit in France. “We were told to prioritize the scene ahead,” he explained. “The paparazzi were the easy narrative. My report went into a file, and that was it.” For years, he adhered to protocol, but recent health concerns and the passage of time prompted him to share his story, hoping it might contribute to a fuller understanding.

This revelation echoes longstanding gaps in the official accounts. The 1999 French judicial inquiry and the 2008 British inquest, Operation Paget, concluded the crash resulted from Paul’s impairment, excessive velocity, and the absence of seatbelts – factors that turned a glancing contact with a white Fiat Uno into a catastrophic impact. Forensic evidence confirmed paint transfer from the Fiat on the Mercedes’ right flank, suggesting the smaller car had veered into the path, forcing Paul to swerve left into the pillar. Yet, the Fiat’s driver was never conclusively identified, despite traces of white paint and a broken taillight found at the scene. Witnesses, including a couple exiting the tunnel, described seeing a white Fiat emerge with a driver glancing repeatedly in his mirrors, accompanied by a muzzled dog and a man of Mediterranean appearance.

The officer’s mention of a silver vehicle introduces a new layer, as it doesn’t align neatly with the white Fiat narrative. Silver cars, often overlooked in low-light conditions, could explain discrepancies in eyewitness reports. During the inquest, three French pedestrians – David Le Ny and the Catheline family – testified to seeing two large, dark vehicles entering the tunnel side by side at high speed, followed by sounds of dual impacts: a softer scrape and a resounding thud. Le Ny, walking with his then-fiancée, recalled the roar of engines drawing his attention: “They were going too fast, neck and neck. It felt off, like they were boxing something in.” His wife, Marie-Agnes, corroborated seeing at least two shapes, though lighting and panic blurred specifics.

Historians of the case point to these inconsistencies as fuel for public fascination. Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi’s father, long alleged a cover-up orchestrated by British intelligence to prevent Diana’s marriage to his son and potential revelations about royal matters. He cited the Fiat as a tool in a broader scheme, though inquiries dismissed such claims as unsubstantiated. Operation Paget, led by London’s Metropolitan Police, interviewed over 300 witnesses and examined 27 conspiracy theories, including strobe light disorientation and brake tampering, but found no evidence of foul play. “The frustration remains the unidentified vehicles,” said retired detective Gilbert Poupard, who led the French Brigade Criminelle’s probe. In a 2022 Channel 4 documentary, “Investigating Diana: Death in Paris,” Poupard expressed regret over the Fiat’s elusiveness: “That driver could have clarified the Mercedes’ maneuvers. We chased leads for years – resprayed cars, false plates – but nothing.”

The retired officer’s account, while not implicating malice, amplifies these unresolved threads. He insists the silver and black cars peeled away eastward post-crash, vanishing into the night before full cordons were established. “They didn’t stop to help or gawk,” he noted. “That alone made me question.” French authorities, contacted by Le Parisien, confirmed reviewing the claim but stand by prior conclusions, stating no new evidence warrants reopening the file. A spokesperson for the Paris Prefecture added: “All credible testimonies were pursued. This recollection, while valued, aligns with the chaos of multiple vehicles in proximity that night.”

Public response has been swift and divided. On social media platforms, #DianaTunnelTruth trended briefly in Europe, with users sharing archival footage of the paparazzi scrum – over a dozen motorcycles and cars documented tailing the Mercedes from the Ritz. “Finally, someone official speaks up,” one commenter posted. “The Fiat was white, but silver in headlights? This changes the puzzle.” Royal watchers, however, urge caution. Tina Brown, author of “The Diana Chronicles,” commented to BBC: “Diana’s death was a perfect storm of speed, alcohol, and pursuit. New stories keep her legend alive, but facts are stubborn.”

The tunnel itself, a notorious black spot with eight fatalities in the years bracketing 1997, has evolved into a site of pilgrimage. The Flame of Liberty above its northern entrance, originally a gift from Paris to the U.S., now bears eternal tributes: flowers, notes, and photos of the “People’s Princess.” Diana’s humanitarian legacy – from AIDS advocacy to landmine campaigns – endures through her sons, Princes William and Harry. William, now Prince of Wales, has championed mental health initiatives partly inspired by his mother’s unresolved grief narratives, while Harry’s memoir “Spare” grappled with the crash’s lingering shadows.

Medical advancements since 1997 offer a poignant “what if.” Rapid trauma response, including on-site blood clotting agents and drone-delivered defibrillators, might have altered outcomes. Frederic Mailliez, the off-duty doctor who first aided Diana, still drives the tunnel route, haunted by her faint breaths. “She was young, vital – a fighter,” he told the Associated Press in 2022. “We did what we could in the dark.”

As for the officer, retirement has brought reflection. “I joined the force to protect, not to bury questions,” he said. His testimony, emerging on the cusp of the 28th anniversary, doesn’t rewrite history but nudges it toward completeness. In a world quick to mythologize Diana – the divorced royal who humanized the Windsors – such voices remind us that truth often hides in the overlooked details: a silver glint, a black shadow, the echo of engines in a Paris underpass.

Whether this sparks formal review remains unclear, but it underscores a timeless query: In the fog of fame and flashbulbs, what else slipped through? Diana’s light, dimmed too soon, continues to illuminate those gaps, urging us to look closer.