Diana forced to eat her final meal in hotel room due to Dodi’s haunting fears

Princess Diana had spent her final summer working to build up her profile as a humanitarian ambassador.

She had travelled the world, visiting both Bosnia and Angola, to highlight the plight of those living there.

But that summer was also the first time Diana had publicly moved on with a new partner following her divorce from Prince Charles.

The 36-year-old was snapped in the arms of Dodi Al-Fayed on his yacht in the Mediterranean.

She had met him while holidaying with her young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry , at a villa in southern France owned by Dodi's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed.

But when William and Harry flew to Scotland to join their father and the Queen at Balmoral for the royal family's annual holiday, Diana made the decision to re-join Dodi.

The pair cruised around Sardinia on his father's yacht, Jonikal, before Diana went on her final humaniatrian mission to Bosnia.

When she returned, Diana once again joined Dodi on the yacht and the couple enjoyed an idyllic time, sailing around Greece.

At the end of the month, Dodi and Diana went on their third holiday, cruising on the Jonikal around the South of France.

But then their sunshine break, sailing in the crystal waters was over, and the couple boarded a plane to Paris at lunch time on August 30.

It was the last flight the princess would ever take.

When they touched down they were greeted by Henri Paul, the deputy head of security of the Ritz hotel in the French capital, who was killed along with Diana and Dodi in the tragic crash a day later.

The five-star hotel was owned by Dodi's father, Mohammed but the paparazzi already knew about the couple's arrival.

While Diana relaxed in a hotel suite, Dodi stepped out with his bodyguards and went to a luxury jewellery shop to collect a diamond ring for his royal girlfriend.

The couple had planned to have dinner out that evening at the Michelin-starred Benoit restaurant.

They left the hotel at 7pm for Dodi's apartment near the Champs Elysee but were followed by up to 30 paparazzi and instead made the decision to change their plans and eat at the hotel.

It was 10pm before Dodi and Diana settled down in the L'Espadon restaurant in the Ritz.

Instantly Dodi is said to have been suspicious and feared some of the other people also eating in the restaurant were photographers.

Rather than eat their meal in the public restaurant, the couple headed back up to their suite for their food.

Diana ate Dover sole, vegetable tempura and a mushroom and asparagus omelette.

By 11:30pm the couple were on the move once again, after deciding they did want to spend time in Dodi's high-end flat.


In a bid to fool the waiting photographers, Henri Paul sent two decoy cars off from the front of the hotel while he drove Diana and Dodi, along with bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, away from the back door.

They left the hotel at 12:20am on August 31 – just five minutes later the black Mercedes had crashed into the 13th pillar in a tunnel under a bridge.

Dodi and Henri Paul were killed while Diana was rushed to hospital. She was pronounced dead at 4am.

Prince Charles was the first person to be told about his ex-wife's death while he was on holiday with his sons at Balmoral.

Stunned, he informed the Queen, and the two of them tried to come up with a way of shielding the two young princes, aged just 15 and 12, from the worst of the tragedy.

Harry was determined to fulfil one final wish for his beloved mother – he wanted to travel to Paris with his father to collect her body.

Charles, desperate to protect his young son, refused the request, and instead travelled alone to bring Diana's body back to Britain.

Journalist and friend of Diana, Richard Kay said: "The Queen and Prince Charles' view was that the boys were their main priority."

However, Charles' decision to travel with Diana's body himself caused a huge rift with his mother, the Queen.

Richard said: "Charles took the decision that he was going to Paris to bring back Diana's body.

"This was a surprising and brave move. He was an ex-husband, he had no right to be there other than as the father of her sons.

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