For years, Mohamed Al Fayed maintained that Princess Diana was pregnant with his son Dodi’s child when the couple died. His allegation became a key part of a dramatic royal conspiracy theory that is returning to public attention almost 30 years later. Diana was 36 when she, Dodi Fayed, and driver Henri Paul died after their car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. In the years after the tragedy, Dodi’s father reportedly claimed that Diana and his son had been expecting a baby during their final weeks together. He also insisted that the fatal crash had not been accidental. The alleged pregnancy was later examined closely during the long-running British inquest into Diana and Dodi’s deaths. Jurors heard extensive evidence that largely contradicted Al Fayed’s account.
Dr. Robert Chapman, the pathologist responsible for Diana’s postmortem examination, told the inquest that he had found no physical evidence of pregnancy in either her womb or ovaries. When asked directly whether he had observed anything suggesting she was pregnant, his answer was no. However, Chapman also explained an important scientific limitation: during the very earliest period after conception, a pregnancy might leave no visible physical signs. In an established pregnancy, he said, an examiner could expect changes in the uterus, thickening of its lining, and the development of a gestational sac. But the likelihood of seeing those changes depended heavily on timing.
The inquest, which began in 2007, heard Chapman explain the stages in more detail. From day 1 through day 7, he said, an examination would not be expected to reveal anything. Between day 7 and day 14, a sign might possibly appear, although it would still be unlikely. After that point, the chance of identifying physical indicators would gradually increase. More coverage of that evidence appeared here: https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/703662332975718400. That narrow area of scientific uncertainty helped sustain speculation that Diana might have been carrying a younger sibling for Prince William and Prince Harry. Nearly three decades after her death, the same unresolved possibility is now being discussed again.
Diana’s last hours and the disputed pregnancy claim are among the subjects explored in Celebrity Crime Scene: Princess Diana. The new FOX television special, co-produced by TMZ, premiered on Aug. 20. It uses virtual reconstruction technology to recreate the crash from several viewpoints and revisits questions that have followed the case for decades. Some of its most striking allegations originated with Mohamed Al Fayed, who died at 94 in 2023. He claimed that Diana and Dodi had personally told him they intended to marry and were expecting a child together.
Al Fayed also alleged that officials had ordered Diana’s body to be embalmed in Paris so that evidence of a pregnancy would be hidden. Chapman challenged that theory during his testimony. He told jurors that embalming fluid would not have prevented him from recognizing physical signs of pregnancy while examining Diana’s reproductive organs. Yet the pregnancy allegation was only one part of Al Fayed’s much larger theory about the couple’s deaths.
The former Harrods owner claimed that British security agencies had engineered the crash because of Diana and Dodi’s relationship and their alleged plans for the future. His accusations eventually included MI6 and Prince Philip, whom he linked to a supposed assassination plot. Speaking to the BBC, Al Fayed said he believed with 99.9% certainty that the deaths were not accidental and argued that the car had not simply crashed by chance. He vowed that he would keep searching until he discovered what had truly occurred. He made those comments in 1998. The inquest later investigated the claims in considerable detail, but the coroner found no evidence that Prince Philip, MI6, or any other government body had arranged the deaths of Diana and Dodi.
The alleged assassination plot widened the controversy well beyond the question of pregnancy, but Al Fayed’s original assertion also received detailed scrutiny. Evidence presented during the proceedings indicated that Diana had been using contraceptive pills. Investigators were also told that she had never suggested to her physician, family members, friends, or close associates that she thought she might be pregnant. Related material was shared here: https://twitter.com/modernhistory/status/1938922985768866037.
Operation Paget, the British police investigation established to examine the conspiracy allegations surrounding the crash, also considered scientific evidence. Blood recovered from the damaged Mercedes was tested for human chorionic gonadotropin, commonly known as HCG, the hormone associated with pregnancy. The test detected none. When all of the available findings were viewed together, they weighed against Al Fayed’s assertion. Even so, Lord Justice Scott Baker acknowledged that science could not provide a completely definitive answer in this particular case. He told jurors that pregnancy was probably an issue that could not be proved conclusively in either direction using the evidence available.
That acknowledgment did not mean the two possibilities carried equal evidentiary weight. When Baker delivered his later summary to the jury, he emphasized that a substantial body of evidence indicated Diana had not been pregnant. The larger conspiracy theory was similarly unsupported. The inquest found nothing showing that Prince Philip or British intelligence had ordered the deaths, and earlier investigations conducted in both France and Britain had also dismissed claims of an assassination operation.
Despite those conclusions, Mohamed Al Fayed’s pregnancy allegation has remained unusually difficult to put to rest. Almost three decades after Diana’s death, the small amount of scientific uncertainty surrounding the earliest possible stage of pregnancy has been enough to bring the theory into the spotlight once more. Have you watched Celebrity Crime Scene: Princess Diana? Tell us what you thought about the documentary, and share this story so other people can join the discussion.
