Where did Princess Diana die? Site of Diana and Dodi Fayed’s death in Paris, and Flame of Liberty memorial

Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris more than 25 years ago, but the site of her death remains a popular destination for tourists to pay respects. The death of the princess was a national tragedy and the nature of her demise in a brutal car crash led to the growth of conspiracy theories that Diana was murdered.

The final season of The Crown, the first part of which is now on Netflix, recreates the moment of Diana’s death in Paris, and explores how it affected the British people and the Royal Family.

The impact that Diana had on not just Brits, but those around the world, is evident from the unofficial monument to her life which sprung up at the scene of her death and is still visited by tourists every day.

Where did Princess Diana die?

Princess Diana died in central Paris in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel near to the Alma Bridge which crosses the Seine. She had been out in Paris with Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian film producer who had been seeing for a few months.

The pair had had dinner together at the Ritz that evening and were travelling along with bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones in a Mercedes being driven by their chauffeur Henri Paul, who is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol when he was behind the wheel.

The Mercedes was being chased by paparazzi through Paris and at some point after entering the Pont de l'Alma tunnel Paul lost control of the vehicle, striking another car and then crashing into a supporting pillar. Diana, Dodi and Paul died at the scene, only Rees-Jones survived.

What is the Flame of Liberty memorial?

The Flame of Liberty is a memorial above the tunnel in which Diana died. The statue is a 3.5 metre tall full-sized replica of the flame from the Statue of Liberty in New York, covered in gold leaf.

The memorial was originally offered to Paris in 1989 by an English language Parisian newspaper as thanks for restoration work on the Statue of Liberty that had been carried out by three French businesses and as a symbol of the friendship between France and the US.

However, following the death of Diana in the tunnel beneath the statue, it has since become an unofficial memorial to the late princess. Tourists visiting Paris leave images of Diana, flowers, and messages of love at the base of the statue, and many people now believe that it was created for this purpose rather than as a symbol of the special US-French relationship.

Padlocks have also been attached to the railing around the monument, as is a popular custom in France, and even more than 25 years since Diana’s death, tributes to her can be seen at the base of the statue every day of the year.

The public square where the Flame of Liberty is situated was renamed Place Diana in 2019 in recognition of the changing meaning of the monument. Additionally images of Diana and messages written in her memory can be spotted in and around the tunnel itself.