Kensington Palace condemns 'cruel exploitation' of Princess Diana's Paris tragedy

Kensington Palace and close associates of Princess Diana expressed outrage and disgust following the use of her tragic car crash to advocate for euthanasia in a recent advertisement.

The campaign features a disturbing image of a wrecked car in a tunnel, accompanied by the statement: "Diana. She did not choose her death... in 2024, we should have the choice."

The advertisement has sparked immediate and widespread condemnation, with friends and politicians labeling it as "vile," "disgusting," "repugnant," and "hideous."

Rosa Monckton, a friend of Diana, denounced the campaign, stating, "This is cruel, callous, and opportunistic. Diana was exploited during her life, and now her death is being exploited for base motives."

Baroness Monckton, who went on holiday with Diana a few weeks before she died in the car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in 1997, said she was 'shocked and horrified' by the image.

Kensington Palace insiders were left 'speechless' with one saying the advert 'plumbed the very lowest depths of bad taste'.

Their sentiments were echoed by the late Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter, who said: 'To reference what happened in 1997 is bad enough, but to mock up a picture really leaves a sour taste in the mouth. [It] is just completely off the scale of obscenity.'

Diana was 36 when she and Dodi Fayed, 42, died after their Mercedes hit a pillar in the Parisian road tunnel in the early hours of August 31, 1997. 

Diana lay critically injured in the wreckage and died several hours later in hospital.