Princess Diana documentaries: programmes on the 25th anniversary of Princess’ death - from Channel 4 to HBO

A new Channel 4 documentary will explore the police investigations that followed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and the conspiracy theories that spread in their wake.

The princess was 36 when she was killed in a car crash in Paris almost 25 years ago to the day on August 31 1997.

Investigating Diana: Death In Paris will recount the dual inquiries into the incident – the first by the French Brigade Criminelle in 1997, the second by the Metropolitan Police in 2004.

Her death has continued to attract conspiracy theories over the decades.

Here’s every Diana documentary we could find coming to television screens over the next couple of weeks, plus a few available to stream right now.

Duty to Diana: The Butler’s Story

What is it? Diana, Princess of Wales, one of the most loved and admired figures in recent history, whose story captivated the nation and whose tragic death caused a global outpouring of public grief.

Her butler shares his very personal story.

How to watch it? Rent now on Apple iTunes

The Princess

What is it? The second major work from Ed Perkins, director of the 2019Netflix documentary Tell Me Where I Am, which followed a man who suffers memory loss after an accident and relies on his twin brother to help him recover.

The Princess is another stark piece of work, joining ranks of other Diana documentaries, but it is unique in that it focuses less on Diana, and more on the media and public gaze which followed her every move.

The documentary chronicles Diana Spencer’s life from shortly before the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981 up to her death in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

The film is composed entirely of archival footage taken across those two decades that Diana was incessantly in the public eye.

Where to watch it? Stream on NOW TV now

Investigating Diana: Death in Paris

What is it? Documentary telling the story of the two police investigations into the Paris car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales in August 1997.

The first episode follows the immediate aftermath of the crash that killed Diana, Dodi Al-Fayed and their driver Henri Paul.

France’s elite Brigade Criminelle, led by its indomitable female chief Martine Monteil, is first on the crash scene on 31 August.

What appears to be a straightforward car crash soon becomes a high-stakes operation when one of the passengers is revealed to be the most famous woman in the world.

The French detectives chase every lead, manoeuvring between unreliable witnesses and fallible memories while trying to block out the countless conspiracy theories that spring up almost immediately in the press and on the burgeoning internet.

Where to watch it? Channel 4, Sunday 21 August 9pm (episode 2 follows at the same time the next night)

The Diana Interview: The Truth Behind the Scandal

What is it? The documentary team whose work led to the setting up of the BBC Diana scandal inquiry return with an inside look at explosive revelations.

First shown in May 2021.

Where to watch it? Channel 4, Sunday 21 August 10pm

Diana: The Truth Behind the Interview

What is it? Piecing together the story behind Diana, Princess of Wales’ November 1995 explosive interview with BBC’s Panorama, 25 years on from the momentous broadcast.

The programme’s revelations stunned the world, painted the monarchy as cruel and oppressive, and put its future in jeopardy.

Now, insiders at the BBC, and those who knew and worked closely with the Princess, along with archive documents, reveal the truth behind the historic interview.

Where to watch it? Channel 4, Tuesday 23 August 1.15am