Lady Diana – Top Secret. Sergio Felleti

Windsor”. This villa is situated in Bois de Boulogne, a green space of nineteenth century inspiration, located in the heart of Paris, in the south-western area of the city. The lush and luxurious mansion consists of 14 sumptuous nineteenth century rooms.

      The whole property is surrounded by a spacious green park, covered by many trees. It is a former mansion that belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who moved there in exile in 1953 after being banned from the Royals and the British Government. Diana and Dodi come into this romantic and elegant estate of Al-Fayed and make a brief stop of about ten minutes, then, still accompanied by the increasingly numerous and unpredictable paparazzi, they leave.

      1997 Saturday, August 30, 4:35 pm: The couple arrive at Ritz Hotel in Paris. The 31 CCTV working cameras, the 43 present inside and outside of the Ritz, recorded everything in sequence.

      At 4:38 pm Diana walks in front of the columns of the foyer of the Ritz to reach the lift, she is wearing a beige suit with pants. While Dodi turns around to show her the road, Diana's pink silky face opens in a spontaneous smile. Diana calmly crosses the lobby, while Dodi grabs her arm. From inside Ritz lift cabin, it is possible to admire one of the last radiant smiles of Lady Diana with her cheerful look, satisfied and cheeky.

      From this moment on, the “smile Princess” will never appear so calm and happy on photo or camera again. The lift will take the couple to the Presidential chamber, located on the first floor of the luxury hotel. Diana's imperial suite bears the number 102 and it is exposed to the charming Place Vendôme (This suite is one of the largest in the Hotel, in 1997 was given to customers for $ 6,000 a night).

      Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed, also known as Dodi, son of the multimillionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, supposedly promised Diana that in Paris she would have enjoyed the happiness of a festive ceremony, accompanying the gift of one of the rarest and most famous ring in the world: “Dis Moi Oui”. This gift (among many already given by Dodi) would have been for Diana a last, but joyful event at the end of their Mediterranean cruise.

      In Contrast to all this, a sense of irritation will soon replace the attractive charm of Lady Diana. The reason for this spontaneous but obligatory sadness, concerns what will happen after 17:40, in particular after the couple will reach the ground floor at Ritz, and approach a group of business friends of Dodi.

      1997 Saturday, August 30, 5:06 pm: Dodi comes down the stairs and together with his bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, exits from the main entrance and heads towards the Italian jeweller Alberto Repossi, whose sumptuous jewellery is situated on Place Vendôme, a few meters from the Ritz (the cameras of the jewellery store recorded everything, although later, after the accident, Trevor Rees-Jones will deny to have been in there on that day). A month earlier, in early August, while being in Montecarlo in a subsidiary of Repossi jewellery store, managed by Alberto's brother, by recommendation of Dodi's father, the couple had chosen a preciously rare and very special ring.

      The engagement ring chosen was part of a romantically evocative collection, its name was Dis Moi Oui, that means “Tell me Yes”. «We just need to wrap it well...» Mrs. Angela, wife of Alberto, told Dodi «it will take a couple of minutes». After Alberto Repossi grouped up other precious and beautiful jewellery and after recommending to Dodi to show them to Diana, Dodi said that the “engagement” ring was going to get withdrawn by his subordinate, he took a handful of the jewels and together with Trevor left the store quickly.

      1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:30 pm: Claude Roulet, Director of Hotel Ritz, ordered by Dodi, enters the Repossi jewellery, Mrs. Angela Repossi still had the famous “engagement” ring on the finger of her left hand, she took it off and finished the packaging. Then, together with the famous ring for Diana, Roulet also receives other precious jewels selected by Alberto Repossi to show Dodi and Diana, and after that he gets back to the Ritz.

      1997 Saturday, August 30, around 5:40 pm: From what has been reported by the Ritz staff, we concluded that: “Dodi and Diana are sitting on a luxurious sofa in one of the lounges on the ground floor of the Ritz. They are having a drink, but they are not alone. Gradually they are surrounded by people who show a lot of confidence towards Dodi. Diana is surrounded by some gallant and smiling men, they speak little English and more French language, but not all of them are French, there are also some women.

      Diana stays close to Dodi. It seems that some people of the group around the couple are trying to express their desire to spend the evening with Dodi and Diana, but in a place quieter than the Ritz, away from prying eyes. Even if apparently the true reason referred to business and trade negotiations between Dodi and these “gentlemen”, Diana feels their interest might not be only related to work, orders and deliveries of goods. Suddenly Diana becomes reticent, she continuously interrupts the conversation, implying what is not said.

      Diana realizes that Dodi had persuaded her and deceived her, mainly in order to be present at that his appointment with other people. Diana also noticed that these alleged “businessmen” were quite persistent with their decisions, they did not give any choice to Dodi and nor even to her, ignoring her royal rank and her notoriety. Despite the rudeness of the group surrounding her, Diana is persuaded, and the meeting place for the so-called business was established for a little later at the Chez Benoît Restaurant, a bistro on the Rue Saint Martin near the Centre Pompidou and the Hotel de Ville.

      1997 Saturday, August 30, 7:00 pm: (From now on the countdown for the couple begins, which in the case of Diana's life will stop completely at 2:00 am). Diana and Dodi leave the Ritz from the main entrance, the bodyguards think the objective is to go dining, even though they are not sure about it and they are unaware of the location anyway.

      Outside of Ritz, after being overshadowed by a shouting and jostling crowd of autograph seekers and by many onlookers equipped with cameras and video-cameras, as well as the usual paparazzi army, the couple finally manages to get on their Mercedes (not the same Mercedes of the accident, but the one which was used to drive from the airport and throughout that afternoon). Trevor Rees-Jones is driving and next to him there is another agent. A second security vehicle, a Range Rover, is following them, in its driving seat there is bodyguard Kez Wingflield and by his side another agent.

      At that moment the four security officers in the two cars have no idea where Dodi wishes to go, and this concerns them and jeopardizes Lady Diana's personal security. Anyway, Dodi's main intention is to take Diana to his private apartment in Rue Arsène-Houssaye, which is situated right before the Triumph Arch, to change his clothes, and later go to dinner with Diana at Chez Benoît Restaurant.

      The pressure of the many paparazzi surrounding and constantly chasing the Mercedes with the intention of photographing Diana, plus the traffic jam on Avenue des Champs-Elysées, which stops them continuously, make all passengers very nervous. From this moment on, for Diana and Dodi both, the numerous and cumbersome presence of paparazzi is not welcome anymore.

      During that Saturday, August 30, 1997, local radio and TV stations in Paris have broadcast images of the Princess' recent arrival in the capital all day long. All newspapers of Paris, especially the breaking news of Saturday afternoon, reported with capital letters that Diana was in Paris. The Princess was on everyone's lips.

      That afternoon, the entire road traffic on Avenue des Champs-Elysées was jammed by an enormous crowd of onlookers. Several radio stations, television channels and a multitude of photographers and paparazzi were constantly busy taking pictures of the Princess while she was in the Mercedes with her companion Dodi Al-Fayed.

      1997 Saturday, 30 August 7:10 pm: The deputy head of security Henri Paul, disappears from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm for a break. Perhaps he has simply gone to dinner? “Apart from this book, no other media will ever precisely clarify, where Henri Paul went and what he did” in those three hours.

      On the front pages of almost all newspapers and several radio and TV programs, and on the French local newscast, regional and national, it is announced: «Today Princess Diana is in Paris, staying at the Grand Hotel Ritz». As a consequence Place Vendôme is packed with hundreds of people that have joined the paparazzi army. Even at the rear entrance of Ritz, on Rue Cambon,