One night in Paris, the Firestones witnessed a moment in history that would change their lives forever… For 10 years, the facts lay veiled in darkness. Finally, the truth can emerge from the tunnel and into the light of day.
Just seconds after the car carrying Princess Diana crashed in the Alma tunnel, the Firestones arrived on the scene.
Traveling by cab back to their Paris hotel, the Firestones entered the tunnel ahead of the ambulance and before police had closed off the tunnel’s eastbound entrance.
Just as they came upon the crash site, the cab driver stopped the car. What the Firestones witnessed is still etched in their minds…
“A black Mercedes was literally smashed up and demolished against the interior tunnel wall – totally unrecognizable as a car…”
“The goings-on inside the tunnel at this time were akin to a circus atmosphere gone wild.” Only a matter of minutes had passed, and paparazzi were all over the scene, getting as close as they could to the car and snapping pictures from every angle.
The paparazzi not only did nothing to help the crash victims, their actions interfered with rescue efforts. “The only officer on the scene was pushing one of the paparazzi back from the front of the car while a second photographer ran around them, laid on what was left of the windshield and began snapping pictures of the victims inside the car.”
Robin Firestone saw a blonde woman in the car. “She was slumped over with her head turned into the window. It was a very, very sickening feeling to see these photographers going up to the windshield to get as close they could to take pictures of this person…it was relentless.”
Robin remembered wondering as the taxi pulled away, why were the paparazzi nearly clawing at each other to snap photos of the woman lying injured or worse inside the car?
The next morning, back at their hotel, the Firestones learned that the woman in the car had been Princess Diana.
The Investigations
As eyewitnesses, the Firestones immediately contacted the French police to provide what information they could about the fatal crash. But what they experienced left them feeling shocked and discouraged. No one seemed interested in taking Robin’s statement, including details about some dark cars and a mysterious man talking on a cell phone that she saw at the scene.
After a 16-month investigation, the French concluded that the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed was an accident, caused by the driver who was both drunk and speeding. For many, including the Firestones, the report left serious and lingering questions. Did the French police properly gather and thoroughly examine all the evidence? That had not been the Firestone’s experience.
Dodi’s father, Mohammed Al Fayed, convinced the crash was not an accident and was subsequently covered up by French authorities, launched his own investigation.
At the request of the British coroner, in January 2004, British authorities opened another inquiry called Operation Paget. After more than three years of re-examining evidence and witness statements, the British agreed with the original findings from the French investigation: the deaths were a tragic accident.
More than 10 years after the fatal crash, Robin and Jack Firestone were called upon to testify at the Royal Courts of Justice as witnesses for the Final Inquest into the death of Princess Diana. This event would be the culmination of their determination to go on public record as to what they saw and the way they were treated by the police investigators in Paris. Robin was never called to testify.
Why We Wrote the Book…
When the jury announced the verdict in the third and final inquest, they stated Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were “unlawfully killed” due to “gross negligence” of their driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi that relentlessly pursued them.
For the French and British authorities, this case is closed. But for us, Mohammed Al Fayed, and countless others connected to the tragic crash, the verdict did not bring closure. We felt compelled to keep the story open and in the public consciousness so that someday, the whole truth may emerge about what happened to Princess Diana and Dodi.
We were fated to be there in the tunnel at that time - perhaps so that many years later, we could give the public a true picture of what we experienced that night and the following days.
Because we were there, at the scene…unlike most authors who have chosen to pen a book about it…we can offer readers a personal, inside view of what took place.
Writing in screenplay format seemed most fitting for what we had experienced. In an instant, we found ourselves at the forefront of the biggest media event in the world, and what we endured over the next 72 hours was as surreal as you can imagine. As we replayed the events in our minds, it was like we were bit players in a movie with an unbelievable plot - a movie about Princess Diana getting killed - totally unthinkable at the time…but tragically and incredibly true.
At the time, we wanted to believe it was a horrible accident. Now we can’t help but believe that there was something deeper going on… After the final inquest and the verdict, writing the book was a means of closure for us. Now it’s up to the readers to decide…
One night in Paris, the Firestones witnessed a moment in history that would change their lives forever… For 10 years, the facts lay veiled in darkness. Finally, the truth can emerge from the tunnel and into the light of day.
Just seconds after the car carrying Princess Diana crashed in the Alma tunnel, the Firestones arrived on the scene.
Traveling by cab back to their Paris hotel, the Firestones entered the tunnel ahead of the ambulance and before police had closed off the tunnel’s eastbound entrance.
Just as they came upon the crash site, the cab driver stopped the car. What the Firestones witnessed is still etched in their minds…
“A black Mercedes was literally smashed up and demolished against the interior tunnel wall – totally unrecognizable as a car…”
“The goings-on inside the tunnel at this time were akin to a circus atmosphere gone wild.” Only a matter of minutes had passed, and paparazzi were all over the scene, getting as close as they could to the car and snapping pictures from every angle.
The paparazzi not only did nothing to help the crash victims, their actions interfered with rescue efforts. “The only officer on the scene was pushing one of the paparazzi back from the front of the car while a second photographer ran around them, laid on what was left of the windshield and began snapping pictures of the victims inside the car.”
Robin Firestone saw a blonde woman in the car. “She was slumped over with her head turned into the window. It was a very, very sickening feeling to see these photographers going up to the windshield to get as close they could to take pictures of this person…it was relentless.”
Robin remembered wondering as the taxi pulled away, why were the paparazzi nearly clawing at each other to snap photos of the woman lying injured or worse inside the car?
The next morning, back at their hotel, the Firestones learned that the woman in the car had been Princess Diana.
The Investigations
As eyewitnesses, the Firestones immediately contacted the French police to provide what information they could about the fatal crash. But what they experienced left them feeling shocked and discouraged. No one seemed interested in taking Robin’s statement, including details about some dark cars and a mysterious man talking on a cell phone that she saw at the scene.
After a 16-month investigation, the French concluded that the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed was an accident, caused by the driver who was both drunk and speeding. For many, including the Firestones, the report left serious and lingering questions. Did the French police properly gather and thoroughly examine all the evidence? That had not been the Firestone’s experience.
Dodi’s father, Mohammed Al Fayed, convinced the crash was not an accident and was subsequently covered up by French authorities, launched his own investigation.
At the request of the British coroner, in January 2004, British authorities opened another inquiry called Operation Paget. After more than three years of re-examining evidence and witness statements, the British agreed with the original findings from the French investigation: the deaths were a tragic accident.
More than 10 years after the fatal crash, Robin and Jack Firestone were called upon to testify at the Royal Courts of Justice as witnesses for the Final Inquest into the death of Princess Diana. This event would be the culmination of their determination to go on public record as to what they saw and the way they were treated by the police investigators in Paris. Robin was never called to testify.
Why We Wrote the Book…
When the jury announced the verdict in the third and final inquest, they stated Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were “unlawfully killed” due to “gross negligence” of their driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi that relentlessly pursued them.
For the French and British authorities, this case is closed. But for us, Mohammed Al Fayed, and countless others connected to the tragic crash, the verdict did not bring closure. We felt compelled to keep the story open and in the public consciousness so that someday, the whole truth may emerge about what happened to Princess Diana and Dodi.
We were fated to be there in the tunnel at that time - perhaps so that many years later, we could give the public a true picture of what we experienced that night and the following days.
Because we were there, at the scene…unlike most authors who have chosen to pen a book about it…we can offer readers a personal, inside view of what took place.
Writing in screenplay format seemed most fitting for what we had experienced. In an instant, we found ourselves at the forefront of the biggest media event in the world, and what we endured over the next 72 hours was as surreal as you can imagine. As we replayed the events in our minds, it was like we were bit players in a movie with an unbelievable plot - a movie about Princess Diana getting killed - totally unthinkable at the time…but tragically and incredibly true.
At the time, we wanted to believe it was a horrible accident. Now we can’t help but believe that there was something deeper going on… After the final inquest and the verdict, writing the book was a means of closure for us. Now it’s up to the readers to decide…
One night in Paris, the Firestones witnessed a moment in history that would change their lives forever… For 10 years, the facts lay veiled in darkness. Finally, the truth can emerge from the tunnel and into the light of day.
Just seconds after the car carrying Princess Diana crashed in the Alma tunnel, the Firestones arrived on the scene.
Traveling by cab back to their Paris hotel, the Firestones entered the tunnel ahead of the ambulance and before police had closed off the tunnel’s eastbound entrance.
Just as they came upon the crash site, the cab driver stopped the car. What the Firestones witnessed is still etched in their minds…
“A black Mercedes was literally smashed up and demolished against the interior tunnel wall – totally unrecognizable as a car…”
“The goings-on inside the tunnel at this time were akin to a circus atmosphere gone wild.” Only a matter of minutes had passed, and paparazzi were all over the scene, getting as close as they could to the car and snapping pictures from every angle.
The paparazzi not only did nothing to help the crash victims, their actions interfered with rescue efforts. “The only officer on the scene was pushing one of the paparazzi back from the front of the car while a second photographer ran around them, laid on what was left of the windshield and began snapping pictures of the victims inside the car.”
Robin Firestone saw a blonde woman in the car. “She was slumped over with her head turned into the window. It was a very, very sickening feeling to see these photographers going up to the windshield to get as close they could to take pictures of this person…it was relentless.”
Robin remembered wondering as the taxi pulled away, why were the paparazzi nearly clawing at each other to snap photos of the woman lying injured or worse inside the car?
The next morning, back at their hotel, the Firestones learned that the woman in the car had been Princess Diana.
The Investigations
As eyewitnesses, the Firestones immediately contacted the French police to provide what information they could about the fatal crash. But what they experienced left them feeling shocked and discouraged. No one seemed interested in taking Robin’s statement, including details about some dark cars and a mysterious man talking on a cell phone that she saw at the scene.
After a 16-month investigation, the French concluded that the car crash that killed Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed was an accident, caused by the driver who was both drunk and speeding. For many, including the Firestones, the report left serious and lingering questions. Did the French police properly gather and thoroughly examine all the evidence? That had not been the Firestone’s experience.
Dodi’s father, Mohammed Al Fayed, convinced the crash was not an accident and was subsequently covered up by French authorities, launched his own investigation.
At the request of the British coroner, in January 2004, British authorities opened another inquiry called Operation Paget. After more than three years of re-examining evidence and witness statements, the British agreed with the original findings from the French investigation: the deaths were a tragic accident.
More than 10 years after the fatal crash, Robin and Jack Firestone were called upon to testify at the Royal Courts of Justice as witnesses for the Final Inquest into the death of Princess Diana. This event would be the culmination of their determination to go on public record as to what they saw and the way they were treated by the police investigators in Paris. Robin was never called to testify.
Why We Wrote the Book…
When the jury announced the verdict in the third and final inquest, they stated Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were “unlawfully killed” due to “gross negligence” of their driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi that relentlessly pursued them.
For the French and British authorities, this case is closed. But for us, Mohammed Al Fayed, and countless others connected to the tragic crash, the verdict did not bring closure. We felt compelled to keep the story open and in the public consciousness so that someday, the whole truth may emerge about what happened to Princess Diana and Dodi.
We were fated to be there in the tunnel at that time - perhaps so that many years later, we could give the public a true picture of what we experienced that night and the following days.
Because we were there, at the scene…unlike most authors who have chosen to pen a book about it…we can offer readers a personal, inside view of what took place.
Writing in screenplay format seemed most fitting for what we had experienced. In an instant, we found ourselves at the forefront of the biggest media event in the world, and what we endured over the next 72 hours was as surreal as you can imagine. As we replayed the events in our minds, it was like we were bit players in a movie with an unbelievable plot - a movie about Princess Diana getting killed - totally unthinkable at the time…but tragically and incredibly true.
At the time, we wanted to believe it was a horrible accident. Now we can’t help but believe that there was something deeper going on… After the final inquest and the verdict, writing the book was a means of closure for us. Now it’s up to the readers to decide…
[if gte mso 9]>
Two bees try
That is the quest
De bitskoemer
Zooming into
The bloom
Hook all
Did eek
Nodding
To the point
The karakol
Is
Open
24/7
Angst
Eek will
A karakol
Glossary of foreign words, used phonetically in this poem:
Bitskoemer: beach cumber (Antwerp dialect)
Bloom: written bloem in Dutch, means both flower and ... flour.
Hook all: ook al (even) (Dutch)
Eek: ik, meaning I (Dutch)
Nodding: nothing ( Antwerp dialect)
Karakol: Turkish, sometimes used to refer to the police station (in some parts of Turkey ), in Dutch: an edible snail, sold at street stands or fairs…
Will: Dutch ‘wil’ means ‘want’
[if gte mso 9]>
Every morning my boss attempts to wake me up by pushing a button, making me start up for the day ahead. Al as, today… bleep… I am just about to make it, then suddenly I am stuck for I … bleep … to start my friendly boss’s machine, thingy … I do not know what it is called.
This leaves my boss in a … bleep … state. His w… seems to depend upon me and he takes a look at my … blutton or whatever it is called. Today I suddenly seem to know very little of all the work the man put into me over the years.
And yet I have been such a faithful … pbleep…, always well kept too. For I am his pjight and loy, or something else, I really cannot seem to recall.
Well, the blutton thingy seems to work, my faithful owner seems pluzzed, for everything seemed to work perfectly as I went to sleep.
This morning, I do not know, I just cannot pelfrom or do thingies that I normally do autothingyly …
The man now loses his tempel with me (I hope I still get that light) I am losing it too.
What is wrong with me? Normally artef the blutton has been pushed, I … bleep… what to do. I hear the word ‘windows’ muttering in my ears, well my window thingy is always clear. Why cannot he see what he is meant to? What is rwong with me? He is the one who … bleeped … me, he should know!
Help!! I am losing it: he takes me al … bleep! Al l my prats … bleeped … on the table! Somebody!! He is trotruing me! Now I am all … bleeping… useless! The … bleep … what will happen to his flies?
He says it is o.k. but I flee k.o., while I am …blripped … of my bleepdisk! I want my hardthingy back, because the flies are in there! The stupid romon!
Now he tells me my hardthingy is fine. Why am I fleeing that I have frogotten everything I know?
Now, he has a go at my mummybleep! How dare he? She has got fleeings too! Then he usddenly tackles my probleepsor… What the fleep he thinks he is bleeping? My probleepsor sruvives the test as well!
Oh my God, what have I bleeped to deserve this dealor? I cannot memreber that I vree did thingysom wrong!!!
The final nodiagsis is that my mormery has all gone?
Blimey bleep, I have got Al zheimer’s, that I know, for I do not bleep … who … am … more … any…
Help!!!
