Twenty years after her death, viewers will get the answers to the questions surrounding the crash that killed Princess Diana in the new CBS documentary, Princess Diana: Her Life, Her Death, The Truth that debuts on Monday, May 22 at 8pmET.
Anyone over 40 most likely can still tell you exactly what they were doing on Aug. 31, 1997, when news broke of Princess Diana’s horrific car accident and death. While you may have never been to Paris, the Pont de I’Alma tunnel is etched in your memory, along with many lingering questions and sadness. Iconic people have that impact.
“I think that there are people in history that touch the world in different ways, and Diana was a fairy tale that everybody wanted to believe in. And while the fairy tale didn’t walk down the normal route of lovely endings, she evolved into this iconic figure,” tells Susan Zirinsky, senior executive producer of the special. “She was a selfless example of humanity. She really became a survivor story. … This is a woman who has touched people all over the globe. People’s lives changed because of her. They began to do good deeds because of her. … We deal with the person, the tragedy of the moment, the tragedy of a life that wasn’t what it was expected [to be], but the survival aspect of a woman who really became empowered and made meaning of a life that could have been a very different story.”
MORE: UPCOMING TV SPECIALS THAT CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF PRINCESS DIANA
CBS charts Diana’s legacy, as well as investigates the questions and conspiracies (and four independent investigations) surrounding her death, in this two-hour special hosted by Gayle King. Over the past 20 years, numerous conspiracy theories and questions have swirled through tabloids. Was Diana killed intentionally? What was the involvement of the white Fiat Uno? The unknown dark car? What about the lone motorcyclist?
While Zirinsky wouldn’t elaborate on the specifics of what the special covers, she does think people will be satisfied with her team’s rich reporting.
“We believe that from our historic reporting, and our current reporting, we will be able to say and put the cause of her death, and answer questions that have remained, and look at the conspiracies that still swirl around,” Zirinsky says. “I think we will answer some questions, and really come out with a satisfying end. And people then can take her legacy and move on.”
