Star magazine
7 September 2001
World Exclusive
Four years after tragedy that rocked the world...
Prince William made an amazing vow at his beloved mom's graveside on the eve of the fourth anniversary of her
death: "I know you were murdered- and I won't rest until your killers are brought to justice."
He made his pledge as he knelt by Princess Diana's shrine at Althorp, her family's stately home where she's buried on
a tiny island in a lake.
William has been to the burial site many times with his brother Harry.
But this time he went alone for a special reason - to make the solemn
promise.
"I must do it for her," the handsome prince told close friends. " I
intend to prove once and for all that the crash was no accident."
William, 19, has never been able to shake off his suspicions about what
really happened that terrible night in Paris in August 1997.
And now he is so convinced Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed were
murdered that he has enlisted the help of a retired investigator from
Britain's elite MI5 spy agency to unravel the deadly plot.
"For my own peace of mind, I will go to any lengths necessary to get
at the truth," he told his friend, "I owe it to Mama. There are too many
questions that remain unanswered- and too many reasons why some
people would want my mother and Dodi out of the way."
Diana and Dodi died when their Mercedes smashed into a tunnel wall at
high speed. The official French inquiry blamed the tragedy on drunk
chauffeur Henri Paul.
But Wills is convinced the truth is more sinister. He believes his
mother could have been assassinated because:
* Reports said she was planning to marry Dodi, who was a Muslim. This outraged shadowy figures within the British
establishment - as well as fanatical Muslims
* Ruthless arms dealers wanted to stop her successful campaign against land mines.
* Enemies of Dodi's dad, billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, wanted to ruin the controversial tycoon's life.
According to a new book, Diana's Boys by Christopher Andersen, the young prince even asked his father if Diana's
death was not an accident. "Charles assured him there was 'not a shred of truth' to the stories," writes Andersen.
William accepted it at the time- but is now convinced that even his father has not been told everything.
Author Andersen says William demanded to know all the gruesome details of the so-called accident And ever since,
he has been "haunted by a recurring nightmare in which he witnessed the horrific crash," says the book.
One detail that bothered him was that Diana always wore a seatbelt even when in elaborate formal gowns, and was
obsessive about the boys wearing them, too. Andersen says William couldn't understand why she wasn't wearing a
belt that night.
Last Year, while he was in Chile doing volunteer work during his time off before university, sources say William would
lie awake at night in the remote camp's spartan hut, going over his suspicions.
And royal insiders say those suspicions gradually crystallized into "an unshakable belief" that his mom had been
murdered.
"William knew the only way to end his nightmares was to get to the truth," adds a source close to the prince." He
scoured the Internet and read everything about the case." Finally, he learned of the former MI5 agent- whose name
Star is withholding for security reasons - through one of his palace bodyguards.
The agent was a highly placed investigator with access to the most sensitive secrets, and he never bought the theory
that Diana's death was an accident. A sense of duty, and fear of reprisals, kept him quiet. But once he knew the
future king was serious, he agreed to a meeting.
"The MI5 man backed up William's belief that his mother was murdered," reveals a royal insider. "They've since spent
hours turning over every shred of evidence.
William has wrested with this for four years. Now that he has an experienced ally, he is determined to prove there was
a cover-up.
Money is no object. He and Harry each inherited $11.5 million from Diana's estate.
He has also told his closest confidants that his investigation is more urgent than ever now that the queen has given
Prince Charles permission to marry Camilla Parker Bowles.
William told friends: "With all the hullabaloo that will go with my father's wedding, I fear that Mother will be
overshadowed and become a distant memory. I want her killers found and brought to justice. I
won't let her be forgotten."
The prince has found an unlikely ally in Mohamed Al Fayed, who owns Harrods department store in London, and who
is hated by the British Establishment.
He has always believed his son and Diana were murdered, and has even blamed British and American agents.
Andersen's book adds fuel to the fire by revealing that the CIA, and the FBI and British spy agency MI5
had all been investigating Diana.
Al Fayed tells Star: "I welcome any investigation which will get at the truth. The whole thing has been a cover-up from
start to finish."
A royal source says, "William knows that they make strange bedfellows, but he has grudging respect for Al Fayed. He
says: 'At least, like me, he wants something done.'"
Harold Brook-Baker, publisher of the "bible" of the aristocracy, Burke's Peerage, tells Star: "Prince Charles won't like
the idea of William investigating this, but it shows what a single-minded and dedicated young man he is.
I've always believed there was a cover-up and that Mohamed Al Fayed was the real target. He has many enemies who
do anything to see him suffer. And the death of his son with Diana at his side has ruined
his life.
"I hope William brings the killers to justice." Meanwhile, Prince William has already received a sign that he is right to
pursue his investigation. After making his graveside pledge, he told a friend: "I felt mother willing me on to do it."
DAVID HAYES
Photographer Mark Saunders – who followed the princess around the world – claims he was offered
money by a man believed to be an agent for the British Secret Service, MI5, or the British Secret
Intelligent Service, MI6, in return for information on Diana’s whereabouts.
In 2007 photographer Mark Saunders – who followed the princess around the world – claims he was offered money by
a man believed to be an agent for the British Secret Service, MI5, or the British Secret Intelligent Service, MI6, in
return for information on Diana’s whereabouts.
Saunders insists the man known as James came up to him in an Austrian hotel in Oberlech, in 1994, and asked: “Will
you be our eyes and ears?”
Saunders makes the claims in his new book, ‘Diana and the Paparazzi’, which he co-wrote with fellow photographer
Glenn Harvey.
He added: “James looked like Diana’s lover James Hewitt. He had a very public school accent and was very
knowledgeable about military history.
“He talked about Diana and said, ‘Information is a commodity, you buy it and sell it but I told him I wasn't going to be a
spook for anyone and I never saw him again. When I spoke to a royal detective, he said there was nobody from their
side in Oberlech, where we were. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think they must have been spies.”
7 September 2001
World Exclusive
Four years after tragedy that rocked the world...
Prince William made an amazing vow at his beloved mom's graveside on the eve of the fourth anniversary of her
death: "I know you were murdered- and I won't rest until your killers are brought to justice."
He made his pledge as he knelt by Princess Diana's shrine at Althorp, her family's stately home where she's buried on
a tiny island in a lake.
William has been to the burial site many times with his brother Harry.
But this time he went alone for a special reason - to make the solemn
promise.
"I must do it for her," the handsome prince told close friends. " I
intend to prove once and for all that the crash was no accident."
William, 19, has never been able to shake off his suspicions about what
really happened that terrible night in Paris in August 1997.
And now he is so convinced Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed were
murdered that he has enlisted the help of a retired investigator from
Britain's elite MI5 spy agency to unravel the deadly plot.
"For my own peace of mind, I will go to any lengths necessary to get
at the truth," he told his friend, "I owe it to Mama. There are too many
questions that remain unanswered- and too many reasons why some
people would want my mother and Dodi out of the way."
Diana and Dodi died when their Mercedes smashed into a tunnel wall at
high speed. The official French inquiry blamed the tragedy on drunk
chauffeur Henri Paul.
But Wills is convinced the truth is more sinister. He believes his
mother could have been assassinated because:
* Reports said she was planning to marry Dodi, who was a Muslim. This outraged shadowy figures within the British
establishment - as well as fanatical Muslims
* Ruthless arms dealers wanted to stop her successful campaign against land mines.
* Enemies of Dodi's dad, billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, wanted to ruin the controversial tycoon's life.
According to a new book, Diana's Boys by Christopher Andersen, the young prince even asked his father if Diana's
death was not an accident. "Charles assured him there was 'not a shred of truth' to the stories," writes Andersen.
William accepted it at the time- but is now convinced that even his father has not been told everything.
Author Andersen says William demanded to know all the gruesome details of the so-called accident And ever since,
he has been "haunted by a recurring nightmare in which he witnessed the horrific crash," says the book.
One detail that bothered him was that Diana always wore a seatbelt even when in elaborate formal gowns, and was
obsessive about the boys wearing them, too. Andersen says William couldn't understand why she wasn't wearing a
belt that night.
Last Year, while he was in Chile doing volunteer work during his time off before university, sources say William would
lie awake at night in the remote camp's spartan hut, going over his suspicions.
And royal insiders say those suspicions gradually crystallized into "an unshakable belief" that his mom had been
murdered.
"William knew the only way to end his nightmares was to get to the truth," adds a source close to the prince." He
scoured the Internet and read everything about the case." Finally, he learned of the former MI5 agent- whose name
Star is withholding for security reasons - through one of his palace bodyguards.
The agent was a highly placed investigator with access to the most sensitive secrets, and he never bought the theory
that Diana's death was an accident. A sense of duty, and fear of reprisals, kept him quiet. But once he knew the
future king was serious, he agreed to a meeting.
"The MI5 man backed up William's belief that his mother was murdered," reveals a royal insider. "They've since spent
hours turning over every shred of evidence.
William has wrested with this for four years. Now that he has an experienced ally, he is determined to prove there was
a cover-up.
Money is no object. He and Harry each inherited $11.5 million from Diana's estate.
He has also told his closest confidants that his investigation is more urgent than ever now that the queen has given
Prince Charles permission to marry Camilla Parker Bowles.
William told friends: "With all the hullabaloo that will go with my father's wedding, I fear that Mother will be
overshadowed and become a distant memory. I want her killers found and brought to justice. I
won't let her be forgotten."
The prince has found an unlikely ally in Mohamed Al Fayed, who owns Harrods department store in London, and who
is hated by the British Establishment.
He has always believed his son and Diana were murdered, and has even blamed British and American agents.
Andersen's book adds fuel to the fire by revealing that the CIA, and the FBI and British spy agency MI5
had all been investigating Diana.
Al Fayed tells Star: "I welcome any investigation which will get at the truth. The whole thing has been a cover-up from
start to finish."
A royal source says, "William knows that they make strange bedfellows, but he has grudging respect for Al Fayed. He
says: 'At least, like me, he wants something done.'"
Harold Brook-Baker, publisher of the "bible" of the aristocracy, Burke's Peerage, tells Star: "Prince Charles won't like
the idea of William investigating this, but it shows what a single-minded and dedicated young man he is.
I've always believed there was a cover-up and that Mohamed Al Fayed was the real target. He has many enemies who
do anything to see him suffer. And the death of his son with Diana at his side has ruined
his life.
"I hope William brings the killers to justice." Meanwhile, Prince William has already received a sign that he is right to
pursue his investigation. After making his graveside pledge, he told a friend: "I felt mother willing me on to do it."
DAVID HAYES
Photographer Mark Saunders – who followed the princess around the world – claims he was offered
money by a man believed to be an agent for the British Secret Service, MI5, or the British Secret
Intelligent Service, MI6, in return for information on Diana’s whereabouts.
In 2007 photographer Mark Saunders – who followed the princess around the world – claims he was offered money by
a man believed to be an agent for the British Secret Service, MI5, or the British Secret Intelligent Service, MI6, in
return for information on Diana’s whereabouts.
Saunders insists the man known as James came up to him in an Austrian hotel in Oberlech, in 1994, and asked: “Will
you be our eyes and ears?”
Saunders makes the claims in his new book, ‘Diana and the Paparazzi’, which he co-wrote with fellow photographer
Glenn Harvey.
He added: “James looked like Diana’s lover James Hewitt. He had a very public school accent and was very
knowledgeable about military history.
“He talked about Diana and said, ‘Information is a commodity, you buy it and sell it but I told him I wasn't going to be a
spook for anyone and I never saw him again. When I spoke to a royal detective, he said there was nobody from their
side in Oberlech, where we were. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think they must have been spies.”
