EXCLUSIVE: Princess Diana 'Was Embroiled in Violent Bust-Up With Boyfriend Dodi Fayed Hours Before Their Deaths'
Princess Diana allegedly argued with Dodi Fayed just hours before their tragic deaths in the 1997 Paris car crash.
Dec. 14 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
Princess Diana is said to have been involved in a "violent disagreement" with her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed just hours before the fatal Paris car crash that claimed both their lives, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The revelation comes from royal biographer Judy Wade, who says the alleged confrontation erupted on August 30, 1997, as the couple tried to evade paparazzi in France – with Wade describing the apparent bust-up it as "a chilling portent of what would happen later on that night."
Seeking Distraction After Heartbreak
Princess Diana argued violently with Dodi Al Fayed hours before their fatal crash.
The Princess of Wales, 36, had been embracing a new life in the year following her divorce from Prince Charles, now 77, after a turbulent 15 years of marriage.
She spent the summer of 1997 traveling extensively, visiting cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and St. Tropez, in an effort to escape the pressures of London life and public scrutiny. "Diana was starting a new life," Wade said.
A royal photographer added: "Everything as far as her relationship with Charles, her great relations with the kids – that side of her life was in order."
Following a heartbreaking break-up with cardiologist Hasnat Khan, Diana was seeking distraction and companionship.
Enter billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, who invited Diana and her sons, Prince William, now 43, and Prince Harry, now 41, to his St. Tropez villa in July 1997, where she met his son Dodi.
Dodi's Extravagant Courtship
Dodi showered Diana with extravagant gifts during their brief romance.
"Dodi became Diana's distraction," Wade explained. The couple's burgeoning romance included extravagant gifts delivered to Kensington Palace from Fayed, including "a huge box of tropical fruit, a roomful of pink roses, a Cartier panther watch."
By late August, after returning from a visit to Bosnia for her landmine charity, Diana and Fayed were being pursued by British paparazzi in St. Tropez.
"Dodi had private jets and yachts at his disposal," Wade said.
"Perhaps Diana wanted to be photographed frolicking with Dodi to make Hasnat pay for their recent rows?"
Despite the public attention, Diana is said to have seen the relationship as a temporary summer fling.
"She told a confidante, 'I need marriage like a hole in the head,'" Wade noted, adding friends doubted Fayed had replaced Khan in Di's heart.
Violent Argument Over Speeding
Diana begged Dodi to slow down during a tense drive chased by paparazzi.
On August 30, after cutting short a trip to Sardinia, Diana and Fayed visited the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, now owned by the playboy's tycoon owner father Mohamed Al Fayed.
While travelling, they were chased by paparazzi, prompting Fayed to order their driver to speed up.
Wade said: "Diana and Dodi had a violent disagreement. Diana begged Dodi to slow down. By the time she arrived at the villa, it was obvious she was upset.
"She was crying and had been genuinely frightened for her own safety and that of the paparazzi.
"It was a chilling portent of what would happen later on that night."
A Chilling Final Night
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Witnesses said Diana and Dodi acted more like acquaintances than lovers that night.
At the villa, Diana is said to have refused to go upstairs, and her bodyguard Philippe Dourneau recalled "she seemed to want to get away."
He added about her and Fayed: "They didn't hold hands. They seemed like acquaintances."
The following day, August 31, the couple returned to Paris.
Pursued once again by aggressive photographers, their car, driven by their hard-drinking chauffeur Henri Paul, exceeded the speed limit and fatally crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, with only bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones narrowly surviving after almost all his bones were pulverised in the smash.
