Ken Wharfe, who served as Princess Diana’s personal protection officer from 1987 to 1993, has opened up about the fatal errors that, in his view, directly contributed to her death in 1997. Wharfe, who knew Diana not just as a royal figure but as a warm, relatable mother with a sharp sense of humor, believes her untimely passing could have been avoided.

Mistake #1: A Drunk Driver Behind the Wheel

Wharfe’s most serious concern centers around the man driving the car that night—Henri Paul. Paul, the acting head of security at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, was intoxicated when he drove Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed into a high-speed tunnel chase to evade paparazzi. Wharfe firmly believes that had Diana’s regular bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, been driving instead, she might still be alive.

Mistake #2: No Coordination With Local Police

In an effort to dodge photographers, Diana and Dodi used a decoy vehicle to sneak out the back entrance of the Ritz Hotel. But in doing so, they skipped the vital step of coordinating with French authorities. The result was a chaotic, high-speed attempt to outrun the paparazzi through central Paris—one that ended in tragedy.

Mistake #3: She Dismissed Her Official Security Detail

Following her separation from Prince Charles, Diana made the controversial decision to end her official Scotland Yard protection. Despite repeated warnings from Wharfe and others about the dangers of going it alone, Diana was determined to live life on her own terms. But Wharfe says this left her dangerously exposed, especially when traveling abroad.

A Preventable Tragedy?

Looking back, Wharfe believes these three missteps—an impaired driver, lack of police coordination, and the absence of professional protection—formed a deadly combination. The crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel killed Diana, Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul, and left Rees-Jones as the sole survivor.

Now, more than two decades later, Wharfe’s words serve as a powerful reminder that even the most beloved and high-profile figures are vulnerable when key safety protocols are ignored.