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    Summer 2002
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Princess Diana: the Hidden Evidence

How MI6 and the CIA were involved in the death of Princess Diana

Jon King and John Beveridge
New York: SPI Books, 2002, £18.95

Terry Hanstock

Princess Diana: the Hidden Evidence

In the five years since the Paris car crash that killed Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed, and Henri Paul, interest in Diana herself may have waned, (1) but the circumstances surrounding her death still prompt the occasional publication. Published by New York-based SPI Books, King and Beveridge's Princess Diana: the Hidden Evidence has received little publicity over here. I've been unable to trace any reviews, and the only media attention appears to have been a passing mention in the Western Daily Press. (2)

The first part of the book argues that Diana was killed by a joint MI6/CIA operation, the actual execution being carried out by a private security firm. In the words of one of the authors' anonymous sources, it was a 'deniable op'. King and Beveridge's account goes like this: on the night of the crash, Diana and Dodi were harassed and hounded by paparazzi, who, in turn, were being 'master-minded' by phoney paparazzi. (3) One theory is that their car was forced off the road by use of a technique referred to as the 'Boston Brakes' stratagem. (4) Another explanation has driver Henri Paul, dazzled by a powerful anti-personnel flashlight, losing control of the Mercedes. Almost simultaneously the vehicle is struck by a white Fiat Uno, suitably weighted for maximum impact, causing it to crash into a concrete pillar and killing or fatally injuring all but one of its occupants. Immediately after the crash and before the emergency services arrived, Henri Paul was injected with a cocktail of alcohol and drugs to help establish him as the posthumous patsy. Diana was left to succumb to her injuries, her deliberately slow progress to hospital being part of a plan to ensure that she would not survive the night.

So far so good. Given what is known about the crash and its aftermath, this is a reasonably plausible hypothesis; and, although much of their account is taken from existing sources, the authors have also made efforts to interview various experts. (5)

Unfortunately, the remainder of the book enters into the realms of bizarre speculation, with sections headed 'Agencies of Masonic Government' and 'The Bloodline Conspiracy'. The main thesis is that Diana was killed because she was being groomed as the figurehead of a campaign to usurp the House of Windsor (apparently a front for the Masonic style of government imposed when the Hanoverians were offered and took the throne) and restore the purer Judaic-Merovingian-Stuart dynasty. (6) Diana's blood was purer - or more royal - than that of the Windsors, as her ancestry ('bloodline' is the authors' preferred terminology) could be traced back not only to the 'Royal House of Israel' but to Jesus himself (assuming one accepts that he was an anti-Roman Jewish rebel who married Mary Magdalene and had off-spring!). The instigators of Diana's killing - MI6 and the CIA - are alleged to be essentially one and the same organisation, set up and controlled by a Masonic oligarchy with the intention of creating a European superstate governed by the USA, United Kingdom and Germany and fronted by the House of Windsor.

It's always refreshing to have the Royals put in their place, even if it only involves casting doubts on the blueness of their blood. However, theories such as this do need strong supporting proof; and, sadly, the authors tend to rely on individuals with vested interests or axes to grind but little in the way of verifiable documentary evidence. These include Prince Michael of Albany, the Belgian-born claimant to the throne (in his capacity as Head of the Royal House of Stewart), currently living in an Edinburgh bed-sit awaiting his call to greater glory. (7)

Initially more promising is Sir Laurence Gardner, an expert in Royal genealogy and bloodlines - 'historian and sovereign genealogist to thirty-three royal houses' to be more precise. However, as Sir Laurence was granted his 'knighthood' by Prince Michael and acts as his ambassador, he can hardly be classed as an independent witness. (8)

The authors' other major source is described as a former 'Foreign Office (MI6) historian' [sic] of 'high social standing'. One of the former tasks of this aristocratic but anonymous informant involved sifting through what he terms sensitive historical and genealogical records, some of them dating back to the first and second centuries AD. These supposedly provide irrefutable evidence of the Judaic-Merovingian-Stuart dynasty's claim to have purer blood than that of the Windsors and offer a possible explanation as to why Diana was killed. One has to admire the tenacity and stamina of the authors. However, although their assertions are closely argued at considerable length (some 400 pages), these are almost entirely based on supposition, anonymous sources, and documentary evidence that supposedly exists in some secret archive.

Having said that, there are some interesting snippets along the way, (9) the most interesting one concerning Camilla Parker-Bowles' car crash two months before Diana's death. This, according to King and Beveridge, was a failed assassination attempt by MI5 intended to 'clean up the constitutional mess' caused by the marital and extramarital predicament in which the Prince of Wales found himself', whilst at the same time sending out a warning message to Diana. One is left to speculate that if Camilla had been killed and Diana had heeded the warning she might still be alive today. (10)

Notes

1 Mohamed al Fayed continues to plough his lonely furrow. At the time of writing he had just launched a new legal bid to try to force US authorities to release documents relating to the crash. (Tom Kelly, 'Harrods boss launches new Diana crash court move', Associated Press 18 April 2002)

2 SPI Books has a wide ranging backlist, covering topics such as baseball, child rearing, Jewish holidays, and psychology, not to mention the CIA, conspiracy, and terrorism. Further information is at http://www.spibooks.com

According to the book jacket, 'Jon King is an experienced investigative journalist and author of...Cosmic Top Secret and The Ascension Conspiracy......He is currently senior editor of the new investigative journal, Odyssey...... John Beveridge is a professional researcher and journalist...... and currently associate editor of the investigative journal, Odyssey.'

The 'passing mention' was in the Western Daily Press dated 5 November 2001 ('The Truth is out there......and it's probably in deepest Wiltshire') publicising a forthcoming Mysteries of the World Conference being held at Marlborough Leisure Centre.

3 The book suggests that one of the 'phoney paparazzi' might have been James Andanson, the press photographer whose body was found in the burnt out wreckage of his car in a remote part of France in June 2000. Some, Mohamed Al Fayed included, believe he was the driver of the white Fiat Uno seen near the crash. Doubt has also been cast on the French police's theory that Andanson committed suicide. See the following for more on this fascinating sub-plot: Ian Sparks, 'Car fire suicide of Diana paparazzo deserted by wife', Mail on Sunday 11 June 2000; Helen McCabe et al, 'Did this man kill Diana?' Sunday Mail [Queensland] 2 July 2000; Nick Paton Walsh, 'Di and the FBI' The Christchurch Press 8 September 2001.

4 The 'Boston Brakes' stratagem supposedly involves tampering with a car so that its steering and/or braking mechanisms can be taken over and controlled by the occupant of another vehicle. In The Feather Men (London: Bloomsbury, 1991) Ranulph Fiennes gives a blow-by-blow account of how this technique was allegedly used to kill a former Special Forces officer, Major Michael Marman, in what was officially recorded as a road traffic accident. Although some have doubted the veracity of Fiennes' book (see, for example, Eric Bailey, 'How they stormed the truth'. Daily Telegraph 12 October 1991), this particular incident is to some extent backed up by Sir Peter Horsley, the driver of the car that collided with Marman. See Peter Horsley, Sounds From Another Room London: Leo Cooper, 1997.

5 These include Britain's senior road traffic accident specialist, Professor Murray MacKay (MacKay was unwilling to speculate on the motives behind the crash, but admitted that some 'abnormal driving' had taken place that night), a paramedic supervisor, and a US Special Forces veteran and CIA contract agent. The latter, not surprisingly, requested anonymity and is referred to throughout the book as 'Stealth' The meetings with him took place, rather melodramatically, at the Avebury stone circle.

6 This Jesus's blood line theme began with Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (London: Cape, 1982)

7 Prince Michael also claims to be Prince de jure of Scotland, Titular Prince of France and Poland, Duke of Kendal and Kintyre, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, President of The European Council of Princes etc. etc.

8 For good measure he is also Grand Prior of the Celtic Church's Sacred Kindred of St Columba and Jacobite Historiographer Royal.

9 Some of the more intriguing offerings:

10 In June 1997 Camilla Parker-Bowles' car collided at high speed with another vehicle in a country lane on her way to visit Prince Charles at Highgrove. Fearing a terrorist attack she fled the scene and was swiftly taken to Highgrove by Royal security staff. There was much media criticism of her actions, most of it concentrating on the fact that she left the other driver trapped in the wreckage. Despite Wiltshire Constabulary's initial comment that 'Nobody is above the law', the Crown Pros-ecution Service declined to prosecute her. (James Whitaker and Adrian Shaw, 'Camilla cheats death in car crash...' The Mirror 12 June 1997; Sean O'Neill and Tom Leonard, '"Camilla's car came at me like a missile"' The Daily Telegraph 13 June 1997; James Whitaker, 'Camilla: I feared hitman' Daily Record 13 June 1997; Mary-Anne Toy, 'Camilla ran away. She fled crash scene fearing she was under terrorist attack', The Daily Telegraph 14 June 1997; Andrew Golden, 'Why did Charles ignore the law? Mystery still surrounds Camilla Parker-Bowles' actions after car smash' Sunday Mirror 15 June 1997)

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