Driver Involved In Princess Diana's Car Crash Reveals He Was Urged Not To Talk To Police

Sep 24, 2019 by apost team

Le Van Thanh, the driver of a Fiat Uno that is believed to have been involved in the crash that took Princess Diana’s life has spoken out, claiming French authorities urged him not to speak to British police about the incident.

Princess Diana died in a car crash on August 31st, 1997 in Paris.

According to the Daily Star, the former taxi driver has decided to speak out about the incident. His car at the time, which was a white Fiat Uno is thought to be the first vehicle to have collided with the car in which Princess Diana was riding with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed,driver Henri Paul and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. The paint from the car is reported to match paint found on the wreckage of Diana’s vehicle.

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In 2006, Le Van Thanh’s father claimed that the Fiat Uno was repaired and repainted red on the same day, leading British investigators to believe the vehicle must have collided with the one Diana was riding in at the time. The claims have now sparked calls for the investigation into the accident to be reopened, which currently holds the status of a “cold case.”

At the time, Le Van Thanh reportedly said in a statement that he was not driving the car, which fled the scene. The driver was only ever questioned by French authorities, and, when invited to the UK to speak to British investigators, he declined. 

He has, however, now told a team who is writing a book on the accident that he would “receive” Scotland Yard Investigators in the event that they would approach him. When told British Investigators wanted to talk to him about the incident, Van Thanh said:

“I know they will come. Several times they told me they would come back.”

“Because eventually, they told me, ‘Yes, they will come’. They wanted me to go to England,” he added.

“You know what the French police told me? ‘It’s not the same law as in France, don’t go there. Don’t go there’. He told me, ‘It’s not the same law as in France, don’t go there…don’t go there ’,” he explained.

A translator also quizzed him on his father claims that the car was repainted, to which he replied: 

“The police report – they know why I repainted it. When you have no money and you have a damaged old car, what do you do?”

Van Thanh now says he has been “exonerated” and is “innocent” when faced with accusations that he was involved in the Princess of Wales death

According to the publication, former Met Police Commissioner Lord Stevens who was head of the inquiry on conspiracy theories surrounding the accident said:

“What we have said to Mr Thanh is, ‘We believe you were the driver of the Fiat. Talk us through what happened’.”

“We don’t blame him for the accident,” he added. “My Paget report said that a Fiat Uno was involved but was not the cause of the crash. We are still trying to interview him.”

Michael Mansfield QC, who represented Foyad’s father in the inquiry on Diana’s death, has made claims the case be reopened. 

“There is a real question mark here because the French authorities were particularly anxious to ensure that it was blamed to the paparazzi,” he said, as per the Daily Star. 

“He had the car resprayed. The Mercedes obviously did hit the Fiat. Whether that was an accident by the driver driving too fast into the tunnel or whether the Fiat Uno was in the wrong lane, I can’t take it beyond that.”

Former Royal correspondent for the BBC Michael Cole has also spoken out, saying the interview should be passed on to the relevant authorities as new evidence. 

“As a matter of urgency, this information should be conveyed to an officer of the court,” Cole urged.

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