Prince Harry Still Has Questions About Mom Princess Diana’s Death

Prince Harry believes there are still unanswered questions about the 1997 death of his mother, Princess Diana, in Paris. In his new memoir Spare, Harry writes that he and his brother, Prince William, were not satisfied with the 2006 investigation led by London’s Metropolitan Police. The report found that Diana’s driver, Henri Paul, had been drinking before he got behind the wheel and determined the crash was a “tragic accident.”

“William and I considered reopening the inquest,” Harry told Anderson Cooper in a new 60 Minutes interview broadcast on CBS Sunday night. “Because there were so many gaps and so many holes in it. Which just didn’t add up and didn’t make sense.”

When Cooper asked Harry if he would still like there to be a free investigation, over 20 years after his mother’s death, Harry said he had no idea how that could happen. “I don’t even know if it’s an option now,” he said. “But no, I think… would I like to do that now? It’s a hell of a question, Anderson.”

Harry, 38, said he feels not all of his questions have been answered. “I don’t think I do. And I don’t think my brother does either. I don’t think the world does,” Harry told Cooper. “Do I need any more than I already know? No. I don’t think it would change much.”

In Spare, Harry claimed he and William were told not to ask for an investigation into Diana’s death, according to a copy Sky News obtained. He called the conclusion that Paul’s drinking was the only cause of the accident “simplistic and absurd.” Harry believes that even if Paul was drunk, he “wouldn’t have had any problem driving through the tunnel… Unless paparazzi were following him and dazzled him.”

Harry goes on to list his unanswered questions. “Why had those paparazzi got off lightly? Why weren’t they in prison? Who had sent them?” Harry wrote. “And why weren’t those people in jail either? What other reason could there be apart from corruption and cover-ups being the order of the day?”

William, 40, and Harry “agreed” on those questions and decided they needed a new investigation. “We would issue a statement, asking jointly for the investigation to be reopened,” Harry wrote. “We might call a press conference. Those who decided dissuaded us.”

Buckingham Palace has not issued a statement on Harry’s 60 Minutes interview. A representative told CBS News they would consider responding if 60 Minutes provided them with the full report before airing, which CBS News does not do. Penguin Random House will release Spare on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Episodes of 60 Minutes are available to stream on Paramount+ the day after they air.