paparazzi were travelling day and night with their vehicles, motor homes, boats and helicopters following the footsteps of Princess Diana.
Their reports and photographs were sent in real time to the Press Agencies and newspapers from all around the world. A simple picture or an insignificant news about Diana was worth a big amount of money. In the week before the arrival of the Princess in Paris, every newspaper, radio and TV in the world had announced and illustrated with photographs every single movement of Diana, daily.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 1:50 pm: Diana and Dodi are still on board of the yacht Jonikal, in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, around Olbia. Outdoor, under the warm morning sun, they are sitting on the deck below, enjoying a rich breakfast. Around midday, they head towards the port of the nearby Sardinia island on a motorboat.
They get on a white Mercedes that will take them to the airport Olbia-Costa Smeralda. Later they leave the airport and set off towards Paris with a private airplane owned by Mohamed Al-Flayed, a Gulfstream 4. The modern Jet bears the colours of Harrods. Regarding her arrival in Paris, according to the protocol and the orders received from the Royal House and the British Government, Diana is not obliged to notify any of the authorities Italian, French, English or British Embassy in the city.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 3:20 pm: (Starting from this very moment, for Princess of Wales, Lady Diana Spencer the final countdown begins).
The plane with Diana, Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield on board, lands to the airport Le Bourget of Paris. They are welcomed by Al-Fayed's Ritz Hotel deputy chief of the security: Henry Paul and Dodi's body guard: Philippe Dourneau.
Besides many paparazzi and secret services agents, on the runway there also were a car and some motorcycles of the national French police. The pictures taken by paparazzi that were present at Diana's arrival at Le Bourget, confirm the presence of the French national police, while they were waiting for the Harrods Jet to land. Dodi convinced Diana to refuse the protection offered by the agents of the police of Paris, SPHP. So the couple preferred relying their safety on their own guards, which were part of the Ritz Hotel security.
1997 Saturday August 30, around 3:50 pm: Dodi and Diana, together with two more bodyguards, get on a Mercedes Benz, limousine, armoured, black, series 600, type Sedan, 12-cylinder, 280-S model with darkened windows, license plate: 405 jvj75 (not the Mercedes of the accident).
Philippe Dourneau is driving, besides him there is Trevor Rees-Jones. The other two agents follow them on a green Range Rover, which is also used to carry the luggage and first aid supplies.
Being spied on and stalked by a small yet annoying group of paparazzi, Dodi decides to speed up the ride and not to stop at Ritz, but to proceed directly to Villa Windsor, property of Al-Fayed. Luggage is brought to Dodi's apartment in Rue Arsène-Houssaye, which is right before the Arch of Triumph, next to Avenue des Champs-Elysées. The intention of the couple is to spend the night in this apartment.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:10 pm: The two arrive to one of the residence of the incredibly rich Mohamed Al-Fayed, âVilla Windsorâ. This villa is situated in Bois de Boulogne, a green space of nineteenth century inspiration, located in the heart of Paris, in the south-western area of the city. The lush and luxurious mansion consists of 14 sumptuous nineteenth century rooms.
The whole property is surrounded by a spacious green park, covered by many trees. It is a former mansion that belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who moved there in exile in 1953 after being banned from the Royals and the British Government. Diana and Dodi come into this romantic and elegant estate of Al-Fayed and make a brief stop of about ten minutes, then, still accompanied by the increasingly numerous and unpredictable paparazzi, they leave.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:35 pm: The couple arrive at Ritz Hotel in Paris. The 31 CCTV working cameras, the 43 present inside and outside of the Ritz, recorded everything in sequence.
At 4:38 pm Diana walks in front of the columns of the foyer of the Ritz to reach the lift, she is wearing a beige suit with pants. While Dodi turns around to show her the road, Diana's pink silky face opens in a spontaneous smile. Diana calmly crosses the lobby, while Dodi grabs her arm. From inside Ritz lift cabin, it is possible to admire one of the last radiant smiles of Lady Diana with her cheerful look, satisfied and cheeky.
From this moment on, the âsmile Princessâ will never appear so calm and happy on photo or camera again. The lift will take the couple to the Presidential chamber, located on the first floor of the luxury hotel. Diana's imperial suite bears the number 102 and it is exposed to the charming Place Vendôme (This suite is one of the largest in the Hotel, in 1997 was given to customers for $ 6,000 a night).
Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed, also known as Dodi, son of the multimillionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, supposedly promised Diana that in Paris she would have enjoyed the happiness of a festive ceremony, accompanying the gift of one of the rarest and most famous ring in the world: âDis Moi Ouiâ. This gift (among many already given by Dodi) would have been for Diana a last, but joyful event at the end of their Mediterranean cruise.
In Contrast to all this, a sense of irritation will soon replace the attractive charm of Lady Diana. The reason for this spontaneous but obligatory sadness, concerns what will happen after 17:40, in particular after the couple will reach the ground floor at Ritz, and approach a group of business friends of Dodi.
1997 Saturday, August 30, 5:06 pm: Dodi comes down the stairs and together with his bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, exits from the main entrance and heads towards the Italian jeweller Alberto Repossi, whose sumptuous jewellery is situated on Place Vendôme, a few meters from the Ritz (the cameras of the jewellery store recorded everything, although later, after the accident, Trevor Rees-Jones will deny to have been in there on that day). A month earlier, in early August, while being in Montecarlo in a subsidiary of Repossi jewellery store, managed by Alberto's brother, by recommendation of Dodi's father, the couple had chosen a preciously rare and very special ring.
The engagement ring chosen was part of a romantically evocative collection, its name was Dis Moi Oui, that means âTell me Yesâ. «We just need to wrap it well...» Mrs. Angela, wife of Alberto, told Dodi «it will take a couple of minutes». After Alberto Repossi grouped up other precious and beautiful jewellery and after recommending to Dodi to show them to Diana, Dodi said that the âengagementâ ring was going to get withdrawn by his subordinate, he took a handful of the jewels and together with Trevor left the store quickly.
1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:30 pm: Claude Roulet, Director of Hotel Ritz, ordered by Dodi, enters the Repossi jewellery, Mrs. Angela Repossi still had the famous âengagementâ ring on the finger of her left hand, she took it off and finished the packaging. Then, together with the famous ring for Diana, Roulet also receives other precious jewels selected by Alberto Repossi to show Dodi and Diana, and after that he gets back to the Ritz.
1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:40 pm: From what has been reported by the Ritz staff, we concluded that: âDodi and Diana are sitting on a luxurious sofa in one of the lounges on the ground floor of the Ritz. They are having a drink, but they are not alone. Gradually they are surrounded by people who show a lot of confidence towards Dodi. Diana is surrounded by some gallant and smiling men, they speak little English and more French language, but not all of them are French, there are also some women.
Diana stays close to Dodi. It seems that some people of the group around the couple are trying to express their desire to spend the evening with Dodi and Diana, but in a place quieter than the Ritz, away from prying eyes. Even if apparently the true reason referred to business and trade negotiations between Dodi and these âgentlemenâ, Diana feels their interest might not
