Shocking new evidence is being evaluated by Scotland Yard to determine if in fact Princess Diana was murdered, reports Channel 4. British authorities are keen to stress that these inquires do not amount to a reopening of the investigation.
Princess Diana was killed on August 3 in 1997 when the car in which she was travelling crashed in Paris. She was killed along with her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed and the car’s driver, Henri Paul. At the time of the crash, Diana was being aggressively pursued by the paparazzi.
Here’s what you need to know…
1. The Evidence is a Letter That Originates From the Parents-in-Law of a Former British Soldier
According to reports, the letter is from 2011. It was written by the parents-in-law of a soldier referred to as Soldier N. Channel 4 reports that the letter became known to police during a separate court-martial of a sniper in the SAS, Sgt Danny Nightingale. Nightingale is charged with the illegal possession of a gun and ammunition.
At one time Nightingale and Soldier N lived together. Soldier N appeared a witness in Nightingale’s court martial. The Guardian reported on Nightingale’s sentence:
Nightingale was found guilty of the offences at a court martial last month and was sentenced to two years’ military detention suspended for 12 months. He was told he only escaped custody because of his exceptional character.
Nightingale’s wife, Sally, championed a campaign appealing for justice as she claimed the gun he was in possession of had been given to him as a gift. The Daily Mirror alleges that it was the wife of Soldier N who tipped cops off about the Glock 17 that Nightingale was keeping in his home in Hereford, England.
2. The Letter Had Been Tampered With Before Police Got it
Before the letter got into the hands of Nightingale’s prosecution, the Service Prosecuting Authority’s (SPA), it had already been redacted. With names and other details taken out. The letter was written from Soldier N’s parents-in-law to his commanding officer asking him to intervene as N had threatened to kill their daughter. The letter also states:
He also told her [the daughter] that it was the XXX who arranged Princess Diana’s death and that has been covered up. So what chance do my daughter and I stand against his threats?
The Daily Mirror reports that the police came into possession of the letter in September 2011.
3. Soldier N Told His Wife He Could Have Her Secretly Killed
In the letter, it’s written that Soldier N told his wife there was a section of soldiers within the SAS who were used for “private jobs,” that there was a form that could be filled out with a “box” for specific details for covert operations. He allegedly told his wife that he could call on this section to kill her. It’s written in the document:
They put in the box the name, address and details of what they want done and then one of them who wants to earn extra money takes the details out of the box and does that job.
He reminded my daughter of a man … who had matrimonial trouble and he went home and shot her and the family.
It’s alleged that Soldier N told his wife that he performed some of these operations. The parents-in-law wrote:
He insists on telling us about his killing escapades whilst working in his job. How he has killed women and children and a priest, whose big toe kept on wiggling although he was dead.
4. Soldier N Has Just Been Released From Prison
Of the limited information released about Soldier N, it’s known that he has just finished a term in military prison after he was found guilty of keeping a Glock, a grenade and ammunition in his home. His case is similar to that of Sgt. Danny Nightingale. His in-laws stated in their writing:
He has been frightening my daughter by bringing guns into the home. Laying them out in a row on the lounge carpet and saying lets invite friends round because he wants to show people. She found a gun in the under stairs cupboard.
He had a gun in his car and in his bedside cabinet… we have been told by him that he is allowed to do this because of the job he does.
5. Soldier N’s Mental State Has Been Called into Question
The Ministry of Defense in the United Kingdom have not commented on the allegations. The letter makes claims about Soldier N’s mental state and also to his paranoia. In one instance it says that he felt he was being followed and that someone mysterious was “after him.”
A 2008 independent enquiry into the death of Princess Diana found no evidence of foul play. It had previously been confirmed that the driver of the car that night, Henri Paul, had been drinking alcohol prior to the crash. The findings of inquiry read:
After hearing evidence over six months, jury returns verdict of unlawful killing, saying driver Henri Paul and paparazzi share blame for deaths of Diana and Dodi Fayed. Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker rules out possibility of concluding that couple were murdered, because of insufficient evidence.
Dickie Arbiter, a former press spokesman for the Queen, told The Daily Telegraph:
We’ll get this every single year prior to the anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales…I think the police did a thorough investigation prior to the inquest and that’s why we had an inquest, the French did a thorough investigation and they both came up with the same conclusions. I don’t think anybody’s doubted those conclusions.