The French police chief who led the investigation into the Princess of Wales’ death has revealed the moment she discovered her pearls at the scene of the tragedy almost exactly 25 years ago.
Brigade Criminelle chief Martine Monteil is said to have been first to arrive at the crash which claimed the lives of Diana, partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul on August 31, 1997.
Monteil recalled how she was ‘obsessed’ with scouring for evidence including the pearls in a bid to find out the truth about what happened in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
Her testimony is featured in the first episode of a four-part documentary series entitled Investigating Diana: Death in Paris which airs on Channel 4 tonight.
The documentary will also include interviews with emergency response teams and detectives who worked to find answers.
Monteil recalled how her team ‘started to find little clues’ after arriving at the crash scene, Mail Online reports.
‘We saw signs of braking. Pieces of red light from another car. On the side of the car were traces of paint.
‘I even found some tiny pearls. They belonged to the Princess.’
French police determined to uncover the truth were forced to navigate testimony from ‘unreliable witnesses and fallible memories’.
They took paparazzi into custody and reconstructed their route to piece together the moments before and after the crash, including people who might have crossed paths with the car or motorcycles.
Brigade Criminelle officer, Eric Gigou, described the ‘race against time’ starting ‘from the moment we were given the case, because human memory is volatile and over time memories fade.’
The documentary will also explore the ‘countless’ conspiracy theories that emerged in the aftermath of the tragedy.
It will also include interviews with the Metropolitan Police and look at how Scotland Yard handled a note outlining Diana’s fears she would be killed in a staged car accident – a prediction which later became known as the Mishcon Note.
A fire chief recalled the moment he held the Princess’ hand and tried to calm her down – after initially failing to recognise her.
Speaking last year, Sergeant Xavier Gourmelon told how Diana said: ‘Oh my God, what’s happened?’ moments after the crash.
Her fatal car crash injury was ‘tiny but in the wrong place’, a forensic pathologist who examined her case said.
Diana: Death in Paris is due to be broadcast at 9pm tonight.
Meanwhile another new documentary about Diana released last week investigates the complex relationship she had with the media as well as her relationship with Prince Charles.
The Princess, made up entirely of archive footage of Diana in the public eye, is available on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW.
Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, director Ed Perkins revealed how he felt sorry for Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, after watching hundreds of hours of archive footage.
‘’I do feel much more sympathetic towards that and obviously very sad and sorry specifically for William and Harry for the many difficult things that they had to sort of go through, some of which are shown in the story,’ Perkins said.
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