Princess Diana and lover Dodi Al Fayed in the summer of 1997.
“The more I hear and read and think about Diana’s and Dodi’s deaths in the Pont d’Alma tunnel, in Paris, on August 31, 1997, in what is possibly the world’s most famous car crash, the more I doubt the truth of their great romance. If it was anything at all, it was a flirt, a fling…. Like the conspiracy theory surrounding their deaths, their romance, too, was orchestrated by Mohamed Al Fayed [Dodi’s father]. The shrine to the eternal love of Dodi and Diana, in Harrods, the most famous of English department stores, owned by Al Fayed [until May 2010], is a popular tourist attraction. People line up to look at it. They speak in whispers, as if they were in church….
“The shrine, which is tacky but curiously touching, consists of a fountain, two large portraits—one of Dodi and one of Diana—and floor-lamp-size candles, the scent of lilies in the air. Under a glass pyramid is a crystal glass from which one of them had drunk champagne in the Imperial Suite of the Ritz Hotel just before they died, and the so-called engagement ring, which Dodi had bought that afternoon at the jewelry shop down the street from the Ritz. Diana never wore it.
They had been romantically involved with each other for less than a month.
Harrods shrine for Princess Diana & Dodi Fayed. Harrods' former owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, is Dodi's father. At the six-month inquest of Dodi and Diana's death (2007-2008), Al Fayed testified of his belief in a vast conspiracy by the British Royal Family under the direction of Prince Philip to murder Princess Diana. The inquest into Princess Diana's death that was carried out at the Royal Courts of Justice in London concluded she and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed by gross negligence of their driver, who was speeding and was more than three times over French drunk driving limit. (Lisa's History Room)
Pakistani-born cardiologist, Hasnat Khan (b. 1960), who was purported to be the love of Princess Diana's life. They met in London in 1995 and carried on an affair until he ended the relationship. No photographs exist of the couple. (Lisa's History Room)
“All was not as it seemed in the love department of the famous Dodi-Diana romance. Several friends of Diana’s told me she was downhearted after the breakup of her romance with Hasnat Khan, the Pakistani surgeon, with whom she was still in love. They say Khan ended his serious relationship with Diana because, as a respected doctor, he could not stand the publicity that overwhelmed her life….
“What is rarely mentioned, although it is well known, is the existence of a beautiful American model named Kelly Fisher, who wore on her left hand an enormous and very expensive engagement ring. She says her fiancé had bought her a mansion in Malibu, where they would live after their marriage. She had tentatively set the date of August 9, 1997, for the wedding, nearly a month off. Her fiancé was Dodi Al Fayed.
American underwear model Kelly Fisher, who claimed to be Dodi Al Fayed's fiancee. Dec. 2007 (Lisa's History Room)
“The two – Dodi and Kelly Fisher – were in Paris together on July 14, when Dodi was summoned by his father to join Princess Diana
on the Jonikal,the yacht Mohamed Al Fayed had reportedly purchased for $20 million the day after the Princess accepted his invitation for a sailing trip with her sons, William and Harry.
Princess Diana on the Jonikal, the yacht Mohamed Al Fayed bought exclusively to entertain her. July 1997 (Lisa's History Room)
“Kelly was left behind in Paris, though a few days later she was flown to St. Tropez and transported to another Al Fayed yacht. There she languished during the day while waiting for evening visits from Dodi.
Charles, the Prince of Wales (center) is flanked by his two sons, Princes William or "Wills" (l) and Henry or "Harry." This photo, taken by the boys' nanny at the royal estate Balmoral in Scotland, was their 1996 Christmas card. In that year, Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced.
“The Jonikal invitations were perfect. A splendid yacht. A helicopter. A private plane. Guards to keep the paparazzi at bay. She probably knew that she was being used by a social climber for his and his son’s advancement in London society, but in high society it was a fair deal. Each benefited.
Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed on the Jonikal July/August 1997 (Lisa's History Room)
This photo of Diana, Princess of Wales, kissing Dodi Al Fayed appeared in the Sunday Mirror on August 10, 1997, as she vacationed on Dodi's father's yacht, the Jonikal. Three weeks later, Dodi and Di would be killed in a car accident in Paris. (Lisa's History Room)
“The shrine to the eternal love of Diana and Dodi, on view at Harrods, doesn’t have quite the same impact once you hear about Kelly’s role in the story. It’s still tacky, but it’s no longer touching. It’s calculated. What Al Fayed has created is a shrine to himself: “Look at how I have suffered” is the message….
“Dodi loved taking movie stars to Hollywood parties and premieres and being photographed with them. He once said to his friend, former gossip columnist Jack Martin,
‘When do you think I’ll go out with a girl so famous I’ll get my picture on the cover of People?’
“… ‘Well, he got his wish.’ said Jack. ‘A little late, though.'”
Princess Diana graces the cover of the August 25, 1997, issue of People Magazine. (Lisa's History Room)
source: “Two Ladies, Two Yachts, and a Billionaire,” by Dominick Dunne, May 2008, Vanity Fair.
Readers: For more posts on this blog about the British Royal Family, click here. See, in particular, “Princess Diana: Death Photos Leaked.”
Lisa's History Room 
The time has come to speak of many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings….
Like the Pont d’Alma tunnel, it is open-ended– we will probably never know all the answers.
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Princess Diana was used by so many self-seekers, that is the bottom line. Nice hearing from you, Winston.
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Amen, Lisa! Thanks for the dollop of common sense you plopped on the mythical Dodi-Diana confection. Khan was, it seems, the love of Diana’s adult life. Dodi was an incorrigible playboy and fameseeker who had a number of women on the side. Dodi’s doting papa seems to be the sole author of the Dodi-Diana book of fiction.
You go, Lisa!
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Yes, Daddy Al Fayed even went so far as to say at the inquest of the Dodi-Di death that Dodi had called him an hour before his death and told of his asking Di to marry him. Of course no one could verify this conversation….By the way, Daddy Al Fayed had a running feud with Prince Philip whom he called the Nazi and barred him from shopping at Harrods. For one reason, once Al Fayed bought Harrods, Prince Philip pulled its royal warrant. Al Fayed also said that Prince Charles was in cahoots with the murder schemer Philip. He wanted Diana dead so he could marry “the crocodile,” Al Fayed’s name for Camilla. Al Fayed was a phony on a thousand levels and he was mad at the Brits for refusing to grant him British citizenship.
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I was in Harrod’s and I missed the shrine! How unfortunate, I would have loved to see it, even if it is tacky.
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Evidently, there are 3 shrines – at least 2, maybe three in the store. However, I understand Al Fayed sold Harrods last May so I wonder if the shrines remain. Probably. Anything to draw in the crowds. Good hearing from you.
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The saddest thing is that this accident was completely preventable! I don’t understand why they just didn’t let the pap-zis take their photos–if each one had the same shots, they certainly would have been worth less and, in the long run, they’d back off to search for other “high-value targets”. You’d think this tragedy would lead to laws and regulations to restrict the activities and methods used by pap-zis, but…….never happened. Obviously, other factors contributed to the accident (like an over-zealous driver with a heavy foot) but it seems the pursuit of one sensational photo led to a chase that cost three people their lives….
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Henri Paul the chauffeur had 3 times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood and was driving into a tunnel filled with concrete pillars at about 70 m.p.h. Throw in the distracting paparazzi, the late hour, the darkness, and you have mayhem.
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I miss Di! She deserved so much better than what she got from Charles and now it seems Dodi! I had hoped that the stories of their romance were true, so that she could have had some moments of happiness briefly during that summer before her death. I am still suspicious though of their deaths due to only 6 days after the People cover with them, they were dead. It seems too much of a coincedence to me and I know I am not alone. The paparazzi that helped cause the accident were hardly reprimanded for their behavior, which doesnt help either.
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I have always thought Dr.Hasnat Khan was Diana’s true love post Prince Charles.Fayed has always played the “victim” card after all his efforts to be accepted by “proper” British society failed. He forced his son to date Diana who only wanted to escape somewhere, ironically, that she would be protected.He thought a “relationship” with Diana would burnish his image.
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Mike, you are absolutely right on every score.
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We will never know the complete truth about Diana’s death.
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Hi, Lisa , after reading this post , I have to agree with Mike as well. Anyway , she is gone and all we can do now is to remember the good things she did for us , the sacrifices she made. I really loved the pictures of her around her children. She seemed to be so calm and relaxed when she was with her boys . She was simply the best mother in the world (Prince Harry’s words about his late mummy) :’)
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[…] 1999, issue of PEOPLE; Diana and Dodi Fayed aboard the Jonikal, circa July/August 1997, photo from lisawallerrogers.wordpress.com; a look from the Chanel cruise 2012 runway on model Natasha Poly; Natalia Vodianova photographed by […]
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Hi Lisa
I just came across the articles on this post, I am surprised at some of the comments, as there are many theories surrounding her life and death. I have written a book “Diana, The Fairytale” which is about to be published. It combines fact, but largely fiction. However, I believe for those people who would have loved to have seen her happy, the book will be a fitting tribute to how she wanted her life to be.
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Poor poor Di fame can be soo tragic! Such a beautiful famous woman whom the reaction to her death was pretty similar to MJ’s in my opinion. I’m watching a docu about her death and apparently she told many people that “her husband” i.e.charles was trying to kill her by causing a car accident involving tampering with the brakes..am not trying to spread anything fear based but as we all know this royal family have avid supporters and people to bail them out and no-one would dare involve them in any inquest because they’re so dam powerful and we have this amazing monarchy which serves so many purposes….
( see mysterious suicide of Asian nurse after transferring a prank phone call to a still-alive British nurse who gives out information about Kate Middleton) I’m not really sure If i subscribe to much of what you’re written here about Di’s love interests outside Charles since I can’t confirm to have known both Dodi and Diana personally to see how strong their love was, but from the way it was portrayed they both seemed more compatible than Di and Charles. I see Mohammed as a grieving dad and even though a lot of time has passed he’s clearly still out there seeking whatever justice he can for what happened.I can’t comment much on the shrine- it’s his son and his potential daughter-in-law I believe he could put up a 10 foot pink shrine and it would be only his own business and no-one else’ s 😛 Maybe this death could have been preventable..they could have probably eloped somewhere in Egypt I don’t know and Lady Di might still be alive probably if she’d gone into hiding..she was beautiful and well-loved am sure it could have been arranged for her if that was what she wanted
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Well dead or not, I have written a fictional book about Diana and Dodi’s ongoing love affair. It is largely a fictional story, with some fact included. It is a story I believe that most people who loved Diana will read I hope, and like me, find a happy ending they would have wished for her if she was still alive.
I am editing the story at the moment, and it should be on Amazon in 2 weeks. The title is “Diana, The Fairytale” 🙂
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I think you know nothing of what truly happened. The Fayeds are billionaires and would have no need to want to be accepted by brits. I believe if nothing more, it was great passion between both. Dodi’s dad could summon him to meet her and go on a date on that yacht, but the night they were killed they were on another date. So that tells me there was attraction and passion on both sides. She is no longer with us and I will carry with me in my heart that she finally found passion and someone who wanted her and they will spend eternity together.
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Deedra, the Fayeds were definitely social climbers.
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That may be true but that does not mean that Dodi was not infatuated with her. Look at her and if it was social climbing then what better woman to marry if not Princess Diana.
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Dodi was set up with Diana by his father. My memory says that he was involved with another woman quite prior to the beginning of his relationship with Diana. Dodi had a playboy life and his father wanted him to settle down and earn respectability. For his father, that also meant acceptance in London society.
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I know who what Dodi Fayed was everyone knows it was no secret. He may have been involved with another woman prior to meeting Diana. The fact is they were on their way to another date when the crash occurred that leads me to think, he was very interested and she with him.You or I have no idea to what extent that relationship would have or have not went. It’s all speculation. From experience when I have met a new man in my life the first thing is physical attraction which leads to passion and sometimes love.
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Deedra, I find it all so hopelessly empty for Diana. I am sad that she felt that she had to go stay on a yacht to get any privacy. It is sad that the BRF had to exclude her from Balmoral in late summer. She was a woman in exile. Best to you, Lisa
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Yes, it’s all so sad. https://www.theroyalobserver.com/p/camilla-parker-bowles-deceived-princess-diana#google_vignette sharing this with you. The conspiracy they all did to the lady. Just breaks my heart. That’s why I want to believe someone loved her at the end. And she loved them back that is all any one of us ever wants. Take care.
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Deedra, thank you. L
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