Who Was Princess Diana Dating When She Died: Who Is Dodi Fayed?

By Aarush Sharma On Nov 13, 2022

When Princess Diana and the Egyptian-born film magnate Dodi Fayed perished together in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, their relationship had just started to blossom into something more.

Now, in the fifth season of The Crown on Netflix, their relationship is front and centre as the show’s main focus.

Dodi, who is portrayed on the show by Khalid Abdalla, makes his debut in the third episode of Season 5, titled “Mou Mou.”

Dodi Al Fayed is the son of the billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed, who formerly owned Harrods department store and The Ritz Paris.

Dodi is determined to carve out a successful career for himself, and he has his sights set on the film industry in particular.

During this time, Season 5 also depicts Princess Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) and Prince Charles’ difficult and tumultuous journey toward the end of their marriage.

Their journeys will eventually cross, but we won’t know the full details of their relationship until Season 6, when the show returns.

After she brought Prince William and Prince Harry to St. Tropez to spend the summer with his family, Diana and Dodi began dating in real life.

Their first official date was in St. Tropez. Later on, model Kelly Fisher asserted that she and Dodi were still engaged at the time that the tabloids began reporting on his romance with Diana.

Kelly Fisher made this claim in an interview. (Erin Richards, who plays Fisher on The Crown, is the actress who portrays Fisher.) Following this, we will discuss the entire history of Diana and Dodi’s relationship, including how and where they first became acquainted as well as Dodi’s previous marriage.

They Are Said To Have Initially Met In 1986

Diana meets Dodi for the first time during a 1986 polo match, in which he competed against her then-husband, Prince Charles, according to The Independent. They would not reconnect again until 11 years later.

The Crown portrays a retelling of this alleged meeting in the third episode of Season 5, during which Mohammed Al Fayed introduces the Princess of Wales to his son.

Marriage In 1986

According to his obituary that was published in The Independent, Dodi tied the knot with the model Suzanne Gregard in the same year. However, after only eight months of marriage, the couple quickly divorced each other.

Diana Dates His Family in St. Tropez

According to reports, the film producer was engaged to the model Kelly Fisher before he got back in touch with Princess Diana.

However, the engagement was broken off after Dodi began a courtship with Diana while she was on vacation with Prince William, Prince Harry, and his family in St. Tropez in the summer of 1997. The vacation was spent with Prince William, Prince Harry, and his family.

After the vacation, it is said that she penned an endearing letter to him in which she expressed her appreciation for the trip.

The contents of the letter, which was obtained by the Associated Press, read as follows: “This comes with all the love in the world and as always a million heartfelt thanks for bringing such joy into this chick’s life.”

The explosive paparazzi photo of Diana and Dodi embracing and kissing was published by The Sunday Mirror in August of that year. This effectively confirmed the existence of their romantic relationship.

As a response, Fisher retained the services of celebrity attorney Gloria Allred to represent her in her lawsuit against Dodi.

In the suit, Fisher filed a breach-of-contract suit, claiming that Dodi asked Fisher, whose modelling career had thus far landed her covers on Elle, W, and other magazines, to put her career on hold so that she could prioritise their relationship.

In the suit, Fisher claimed that Dodi asked Fisher to put her career on hold in order to prioritise their relationship.

During a tense press conference in which Fisher broke down in tears while wearing the sapphire and diamond ring that Dodi had purchased for her, Allred is said to have claimed that Dodi had cheated on Fisher “abandoned her emotionally as they were almost at the altar after leading her emotionally all the way up to the altar.

He was heartless toward her and had no regard for her in any way, so he threw away the love that she had for him.”

Allred also claimed that Fisher didn’t find out about Dodi’s affair with Diana until “the kiss photo” that was published and circulated around the world, much to Fisher’s “utter dismay, shock, and shame.”

August 31, 1997: The Accident Took Their Life

When the couple finally arrived in Paris, France on the 30th of August, their vacation was officially over.

Prior to that, they had spent the previous two weeks sailing all along the Mediterranean Sea.

There, they stayed the night at the Ritz, which was a hotel that was owned by Mohammed, Dodi’s father.

According to a report by the BBC, the two individuals left the hotel early on the morning of August 31 in a car along with a driver named Henri Paul and a bodyguard named Trevor Rees-Jones.

As they drove into the Pont de L’Alma tunnel, the paparazzi followed their car and at that point, Paul, who was reportedly intoxicated and under the influence of drugs at the time, lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the wall of the tunnel.

According to AP, both Dodi and Paul passed away instantaneously upon impact. Diana briefly regained consciousness, but ultimately succumbed to her injuries and passed away after being transported to a hospital in Paris, according to the recollection of a French physician who happened upon the scene and rendered aid to those in need of medical attention. Only Rees-Jones managed to escape the ordeal unscathed.

Later on, a spokesman for Mohammed’s camp asserted that Dodi and Diana were engaged at the time of their respective deaths.

Who Was Princess Diana’s Lover Before She Died?

When they were both killed in a car accident on August 31, 1997 in Paris, France, he was the romantic partner of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was also killed in the accident.

What Were Princess Diana’s Last Words Before Her Death?

In an interview with The Independent, the firefighter who was on the scene of the accident when Princess Diana was killed revealed the final words that she spoke before she passed away.

According to Xavier Gourmelon, a firefighter, the Princess of Wales asked, “My God, what has happened?” in response to the incident.

Following the administration of chest compressions, Gourmelon was successful in reviving Princess Diana and allowing her to resume breathing normally.

“It was a relief, of course, because as a first responder you want to save lives, and that’s what I thought I had done,” the person said.

“But it turned out that I had only saved one.” On the other hand, the news that she had passed away the following day as a result of her injuries was “very upsetting” to Gourmelon.

He stated, “Even though I am aware that there were serious internal injuries, the entire incident is still very fresh in my mind.” That evening will remain etched in my mind for the rest of my life.

Dr. Frederic Mailliez, an EMT who was driving through the tunnel at the time of the crash, reportedly told Tina Brown that Diana woke up in pain as a result of the crash.

This information can be found in the book The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown. Brown was told by Mailliez that she continued expressing how much pain she was in.

Brown also reported on the final moments that Diana was conscious following the accident, saying, “She turned her head and saw the lifeless Dodi just in front of her, then turned her head again toward the front where the bodyguard was writhing and where Henri Paul lay dead.” She felt irritated, and then she dipped her head and shut her eyes.

Conclusion

After being pursued by paparazzi, Princess Diana’s vehicle was involved in a collision in the early morning hours of August 31, 1997, at the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, France.

She was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. She had reached the age of 36. Henri Paul, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, and her rumoured boyfriend, an Egyptian businessman named Emad “Dodi” Fayed, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Trevor Rees-Jones, who was Diana’s bodyguard, was the only person who survived the crash despite suffering severe injuries.

At the time of the collision, Diana was conscious but in a critical condition. She was rushed to the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, which is where she ultimately passed away.

According to Oprah magazine, Diana had a concussion in addition to massive chest injuries, a broken arm, and a cut thigh.

She also had a cut thigh. Diana never regained consciousness after the two-hour operation that was performed to try to save her life; the doctors were unable to get her heart to beat in the correct rhythm. At 4:53 in the morning on August 31, 1997, she passed away due to internal bleeding.