Henri Paul
| Henri Paul | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 July 1956 Lorient, Brittany, France |
| Died | 31 August 1997 (aged 41) Pont de l'Alma, Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Car crash |
| Nationality | French |
| Education | Baccalauréat in mathematics and science at the Lycée St. Louis; prizes in classical piano |
| Occupation | Deputy Head of Security at Hôtel Ritz Paris |
| Employer | Hôtel Ritz Paris (owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed) |
| Known for | Death of Diana, Princess of Wales |
| Parent(s) | Jean and Giselle Paul |
Henri Paul (3 July 1956 – 31 August 1997) was the driver of the Mercedes S280 in which Princess Diana died on 31 August 1997. As Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris, Paul had been off-duty that evening but was called back to drive Diana and Fayed to their apartment. The car crashed at high speed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, with only bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived.
There have been many conspiracy theories surrounding the car crash. However, British and French police investigations put the blame largely on Paul for being affected by alcohol and prescription drugs, and later driving recklessly.
Paul had worked for the Fayed family for almost 11 years. He received his private pilot's licence in 1974 and was said to have enjoyed renting an aircraft to fly over to Lorient. Three days before the crash, Paul successfully passed his annual pilot's physical examination, which includes tests for any alcohol problems (including a blood and liver test). Paul's parents, Jean and Giselle, claim this test would have shown if he had serious problems with alcohol. The original Certificat d’aptitude physique et mentale was shown on Diana - Geheimnisse der Todesnacht, on the German TV channel ZDF, in 1998. However, the Operation Paget Inquiry reviewed Europe-wide standards for pilots' medicals that were in force in 1997 from the Civil Aviation Authority that suggest no specific medical test for alcoholism was undertaken, and that a self-certification of alcohol problems was required from individual pilots. Paul made no certification of alcohol problems and none were externally apparent to the doctor who examined him. As part of security training, Paul was known to have twice been to Stuttgart, Germany, on specialist courses run by Mercedes-Benz on how to handle their cars; these included anti-terrorist and anti-kidnapping evasion techniques.
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