Where were you then: Aug. 31, 1997, the night Princess Diana died in Paris

The Brief

On Aug. 31, 1997, the world lost Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash that sent shockwaves across the globe. She was only 36 years old.

The mother of Prince William, 15, and Prince Harry, 12, had been in Paris with her partner, Dodi Al Fayed. Pursued by photographers, their car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel after midnight. Al Fayed and the driver died instantly. Diana was rushed to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, where doctors tried for hours to save her life before pronouncing her dead around 4 a.m.

The announcement triggered an outpouring of grief unlike anything Britain — or much of the world — had ever seen.

According to reports at the time, Diana and Al Fayed had left the Ritz Hotel shortly after midnight in a black Mercedes driven by Henri Paul, who was late