The film entitled, Unlawful Killing presents a rather thorough account of the events surrounding the car accident in which Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed were killed in an underpass in Paris on the night of August 31, 1997.

The documentary has come under strong fire from the British press, that has already condemned the film for what they are calling images of Lady Diana that are simply “too graphic” to be released to the general public.

Yet, the argument does not seem to hold up well against those who believe in a “conspiracy theory”. Some documentaries make reference to a curious change of chaufers, right before Diana and Dodi are thought to leave the hotel Ritz. Others explain that Henri Paul, the Acting Head of Security at the Ritz Hotel, had been instructed to drive the hired black 1994 Mercedes-Benz S280 through Paris in order to elude the paparazzi. In the meantime, a decoy vehicle left the Ritz to divert attention away, while Diana and Fayed would then depart from the rear entrance to the hotel.

The facts remain the same. At around 12:20 am on 31 August 1997, Diana and Fayed left the Ritz to return to the apartment in rue Arsène Houssaye. They were travelling in the back seat of a black Mercedes-Benz S280, while Trevor Rees-Jones, a member of the Fayed family’s personal protection team, was in the front seat next to Paul.

According to British police, it was around 12:23 am at the entrance to the tunnel, when their driver lost control. The car swerved to the left of the two-lane highway before crashing head-on with the 13th pillar supporting the roof at an estimated speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). It then spun and hit the stone wall of the tunnel backwards, finally coming to a stop. The impact of the collision caused substantial damage, especially to the front half of the vehicle.

The accident immediately came under scrutiny when a group of paparazzis was found inside the tunnel, taking pictures of the fallen victims, while some reports say Diana seemed to be mumbling words like “oh my God” and “leave me alone,” instead of comforting the victims or looking for help.

Dodi’s father immediately expressed his doubts about the veractiy of the police report that makes reference to the fact that the victims were not wearing a seatbelt and were being pursued by paparazzis. To add insult to injury, an 18-month French judicial investigation concluded in 1999 that: “the crash was caused by Henri Paul, who lost control of the car at high speed while under the influence of alcohol, possibly accentuated by the simultaneous presence of an anti-depressant and traces of a tranqulizing anti-psychotic in his body:”

While investigation after investigation continues to side with the “accident” theory, Allen’s documentary – that was financed in full by Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al Fayed – provides evidence of letters written by Diana predicting that “they” (members of the M15 and M16 British intelligence) were going to attempt to kill her in a car accident.

As to be expected, the Ex-British Police Commissioner in charge of the investigation refuses to realease the photographs of the crime scene under the pretext that they “should never see the light of day.” A weak argument which at best, fosters support for those who believe that Princess Diana was indeed murdered by British intelligence agents, acting under the orders of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Elizabeth II.

Here is a video summary of the debate sparked by the controversial film, “Unlawful Killing.”