Princess Diana's death: 7 most popular conspiracy theories about her death

Conspiracy theories about one of the world's most enigmatic figures, Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, has refused to die down even after 20 years of her death. A new conspiracy theory now claims that an MI5 agent killed Diana.

Diana died on August 31, 1997, in a high-speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. Along with her, businessman Mohamed Fayed's son Dodi Fayed, who was also Diana's lover, and Mercedes-Benz S280 driver Henri Paul died. Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor.

Also Read: Princess Diana attempted suicide 5 times; even when pregnant with Prince William

Now, as her 20^th death anniversary nears, new conspiracy theories have started doing the rounds.

Here is a look at the seven biggest conspiracy theories about her death.

MI5 agent killed Princess Diana

A recent article quoting an 80-year-old retired MI5 agent reported that the agent killed Diana. The agent, named John Hopkins, allegedly said that he was ordered to kill Diana because she was "placing the British Crown at risk."

The story, which has now been termed as fake, has gone viral on social media with several users fearing that the report might be true.

Diana was killed by MI6

A similar claim had surfaced online in 1999 when a former MI6 officer, Richard Tomlinson, in a statement said that Britain's MI6 was involved in the Mercedes-Benz S280 crash.

Mercedes in which Princess Diana was driven was "rebuilt wreck"

The Mercedes-Benz S280 in which Diana was driven was reportedly not fit to be on road. The car, provided by the Paris Ritz Hotel, was a dangerous rebuilt wreck and the safety concerns were ignored.

"This Ritz car was a wreck. It had crashed before, and been rolled over several times," Pascal Rostain, a Paris photographer, told a French radio station.

CCTV footage

Dodi's father Mohamed Al-Fayed alleged that there were about 10 CCTV cameras on the route, including one near the tunnel, but there are no recordings of the fatal accident that happened on the night of August 31.

Diana was pregnant when she died

One of the biggest conspiracy theories claimed that Diana was pregnant with Dodi Fayed's child when she died in the car crash. The idea that the King of England's mother, pregnant with a Muslim baby would not have been tolerated. Several reports claimed that her pregnancy was the reason why she was killed.

In 2004, former Coroner of The Queen's Household, Dr John Burton in an interview with The Times revealed that he was present during the post-mortem examination of Diana and he found that she was not pregnant.

Dodi and Diana's engagement

According to reports, Dodi had purchased a "big engagement" ring, a night before the accident. Dodi's father Mohamed Al-Fayed had said that the couple were planning to announce their engagement on September 1, 1997.

However, CCTV footage of the jewellery store showed that Dodi came out of the store with just a catalogue. Also, there was no preparation of the engagement.

A white Fiat Uno used for the car accident

Al-Fayed claimed that MI6 agents used a white Fiat Uno to cause the accident. Le Van Thanh admitted that he was driving the white Fiat Uno on the night Diana was killed. Le Van's father Francois also spoke about the incident and said his son behaved strangely since the accident.

"I do not want to believe that Le Van was in the tunnel that night but I know as a father that he has said things which just do not add up. He behaved very strangely at the time and has behaved strangely since," Daily Mail quoted Francois as saying.