Photo:Best Image/BACKGRID; Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes

Diana Princess of Wales, Dodi Al Fayed, Sunken yacht

Best Image/BACKGRID; Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes

Princess Diana’s former yacht that she enjoyed her last summer vacation on before her death has sunk off the coast of France, according toThe Independent.

All seven passengers on board were rescued in time before the vessel sank below the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, July 29. An officer said that the “ship was sinking due to a leak” after it allegedly hit an unidentified object on the French Riviera,The Independentreports.

Princess Diana’s former yacht sinks beneath the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday, July 29.Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes

On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 12:30, the crew of the Antibes Nautibes Nautical Brigade is engaged following a distress call on the VHF network, on a yacht in trouble 35 kilometers off the coast of Beaulieu/Mer. Serious and urgent situation with an important waterway at the engine level. This 19-foot boat has 7 people on board.

Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes

Gendarmerie des Alpes-Maritimes, a branch of the French military, released a statement addressing the incident on theirofficial Facebook page. They state the Antibes Nautical Brigade first responded to a distress call at 12:30 p.m. local time for a yacht located 35 kilometers off the coast of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France.

When they arrived at the scene 45 minutes later, the ship was already sinking and the cabins had begun to flood. The seven passengers were already transferred to a life raft and examined for injuries before being taken back to shore.

On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 12:30, the crew of the Antibes Nautibes Nautical Brigade is engaged following a distress call on the VHF network, on a yacht in trouble 35 kilometers off the coast of Beaulieu/Mer. Serious and urgent situation with an important waterway at the engine level. This 19-foot boat has 7 people on board.

Princess Diana and Fayed enjoyed spending time together aboard the 20-meter superyacht that first launched in 1972, especially around the Italian Riviera, according toBoat International.

The pairfirst met at a polo match in 1986in which Fayed was playing against Diana’s then-husband,Prince Charles. Diana and Fayed didn’t connect romantically until nearly 10 years later when Fayed’s father, Mohamed al Fayed, invited her and her two sons,Prince WilliamandPrince Harry, to vacation at their villa in St. Tropez, France.

On Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 12:30, the crew of the Antibes Nautibes Nautical Brigade is engaged following a distress call on the VHF network, on a yacht in trouble 35 kilometers off the coast of Beaulieu/Mer. Serious and urgent situation with an important waterway at the engine level. This 19-foot boat has 7 people on board.

Before Diana’s romance with the film producer began to develop, the Prince and Princess of Waleshad finalized their divorcein August 1996. Diana announced that she agreed to her husband’s request for divorce earlier that year in February.

A representative of the princess released a statement at the time: “The Princess of Wales has agreed to Prince Charles’s request for a divorce. The Princess will continue to be involved in all decisions relating to the children and will remain atKensington Palacewith offices inSt. James’s Palace. The Princess of Wales will retain the title and be known as Diana, Princess of Wales.”

Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty; Getty

CHAMBORD, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 09: Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a white and blue lace and sequin evening coat-dress designed by Catherine Walker for a dinner at the Chateau de Chambord during her official visit to France. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images); 9.3.97. Los Angeles, California. The late Dodi Fayed pictured in 1987

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Diana died at the age of 36 after going into cardiac arrest from internal injuries she sustained during ahigh-speed car crash in Paris, France. Dodi and the car’s driver, Henri Paul, were killed instantly in the fatal accident.

Reports indicate the car was traveling at 121 mph in a narrow tunnel along the Seine River in an effort to escape paparazzi tailing them on motorcycles. It was also reported thatPaul was legally drunkwhen the crash occurred.

source: people.com