EXCLUSIVE: Princess Diana's 28th Death Anniversary — The Warning Tragic Royal Ignored That Could Have Saved Her From Dying in Paris Car Smash
Princess Diana ignored a key warning that might have saved her before the fatal Paris car crash.
Aug. 29 2025, Published 6:14 p.m. ET
Princess Diana was warned by close friends not to holiday with playboy Dodi Fayed in the summer of 1997 – advice she fatally ignored just weeks before the car crash in Paris that killed her and the billionaire heir, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Princess of Wales, then 36, accepted Dodi's invitation to join him on his tycoon dad's yacht in St Tropez in July 1997, as she was keen to avoid Camilla Parker Bowles' 50th birthday celebrations in London – and was drawn to the promise of privacy for her sons William and Harry, then 15 and 12.
Princess Ignored Advice To Skip St. Tropez Holiday
Princess Diana skipped Camilla's 50th birthday to join Dodi in St. Tropez.
But as the world gets set to mark the 28th anniversary of her death on August 31, friends insist those concerns were misplaced.
A royal source told us: "Several people told her not to go on that holiday. Dodi was already a controversial figure and there were whispers about his behavior even then.
Diana thought he was a generous friend – she didn't want to hear the warnings. Looking back, people close to her believe that trip sealed her fate."
Diana Chose Fayed Over Safer Hamptons Option
Friends warned Diana about Dodi before the fateful summer trip.
Another insider added: "She had another option – a safe holiday in the Hamptons with billionaire Teddy Forstmann. Security services decided it wasn't suitable.
"So she ended up with Dodi, surrounded by paparazzi. It was a tragic choice."
Dodi's father Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former Harrods boss who died in 2023 aged 94, has since been accused by more than 100 women of sexual assault, with an investigation by the Metropolitan Police still ongoing.
At the time, however, Diana only saw the "warm, generous" side of his character after he offered her and Dodi his boat as a place to relax.
Netflix's 'The Crown' Depicts Fateful Summer Romance
Netflix's 'The Crown' recreated Diana's iconic St. Tropez holiday with Dodi.
The summer holiday in St Tropez was depicted in season six of Netflix's The Crown.
For Diana, it marked the start of her romance with Dodi, 42, a film producer and Al-Fayed's only son.
Within weeks, paparazzi captured the Princess in a blue swimsuit perched at the end of the Jonikal yacht's diving board – one of the most iconic photographs ever taken of her.
Royal sources say friends such as Rosa Monckton warned Diana against becoming entangled with the Fayeds.
One said: "Friends were uncomfortable with Diana becoming so involved with the Fayeds, but she was intent on having some happiness after all the upheaval in her life."
Tragic Paris Crash Ended Diana and Dodi's Story
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Harry recalls in 'Spare' that the St. Tropez trip felt like 'heaven.'
Harry later recalled in his memoir Spare the trip to St. Tropez was "heaven." But Diana was not feeling divine.
She is said to have confronted journalists by boat during the trip, telling them they had been cruel to Fayed and unfair to her children.
And on August 31, 1997, Diana's summer trip ended in tragedy. Diana, Dodi and their driver Henri Paul were killed when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris.
A family friend said: "Diana believed she was leaving behind the shadow of the royals and moving toward happiness. In truth, she stepped into a perilous situation.
"Those around her warned against the Fayeds, but she ignored the advice – and it literally killed her."
