Princess Diana's 'DIY security team' led to 'tragic outcome' night of her death, says French policeman

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Daniel Bourdon reveals shock at security operation for Diana in new book
He said: 'She did not have a level of protection an icon like her deserved'
Hotel staff devised plan for off-duty security boss Henri Paul to drive her
Crash caused by the 'gross negligence' of Mr Paul, who had been drinking

Published: 10:06 EST, 28 August 2014 | Updated: 13:12 EST, 28 August 2014

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Princess Diana's death was caused in part because she had an inadequate security team on the night she died, a former police officer has claimed.

Daniel Bourdon, who guarded Diana's body in the morgue, claims her 'DIY' protection detail allowed a chain of events to occur that led to the fatal crash.

His claims are made in his new book called Diana: That Night in which he reveals his shock at the standard of the security operation around her and boyfriend Dodi Fayed.

An inquest in 2008 heard how an ill-fated plan was devised for off-duty security manager Henri Paul, who had been drinking, to drive the pair away from their hotel in a bid to avoid the paparazzi.

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'DIY': A picture taken moments before the crash that killed Diana shows the driver Henri Paul (right), bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones (left) with the Princess and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed in the back seat. A former French police officer claims the tragedy happened in part because she had an inadequate security detail that night

CCTV footage shows off-duty security manager Henri Paul arriving at the Ritz hotel in Paris on the night she died. An inquest heard an ill-fated plan was devised to evade paparazzi that night by getting Mr Paul to drive the couple from the back of the hotel while Dodi's usual driver, Philippe Dorneau, remained at the front as a decoy

The hearing ruled they were unlawfully killed due to Mr Paul's 'gross negligence' after the car crashed in a Paris tunnel while being pursued by photographers.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien, which has been translated by The Local, Mr Bourdon said: 'My book is not a counter-investigation.

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'It reproduces things as they were. Only, according to me, the princess did not have a level of security and protection that an icon like her deserved.

'It was DIY and that allowed a chain of circumstances that had a tragic outcome.'

Diana, 36, Fayed, 42, and Mr Paul, 41, were killed in the crash on August 31, 1997, while the Princess's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was seriously injured.

Crash site: footage of Princess Diana on the night she died

'Icon': Former French police officer Daniel Bourdon says he was shocked at the security operation around Diana and Dodi. His new book claims it was a factor in the chain of events that led up to the Princess's death

The inquest heard how a plan was hatched for Mr Paul to drive the couple from the back of the hotel while Dodi's usual driver, Philippe Dorneau, remained at the front as a decoy.

Mr Paul decided to drive the car to Dodi's father Mohamed Al-Fayed's apartment in Rue Arsène Houssaye in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Paul was reminded moments before setting off that it was not his job to drive the couple but said nothing, the hearing was told.

Ritz night security manager Francois Tendil said he had seen no sign that his boss Mr Paul had been drinking that night, although blood tests after the crash showed he was over the drink-drive limit.

Mr Bourdon said he was given the task of guarding Diana's body in the morgue at the Salpetriere hospital and spoke to her as he stood there for 15 minutes.

'It was a poignant moment. Her face was magnificent,' he said.