LONDON – Eight years after Princess Diana (search) died, the car she was riding in when she was killed has been sent from France to Britain for forensic examination, police said Thursday.
The wrecked Mercedes (search) was shipped Wednesday to London with "the assistance of the French authority," in the latest stage of investigation into Diana's death, the Metropolitan Police said.
The car was involved in an Aug. 31, 1997, collision that killed Diana, her companion, Dodi Fayed (search), and their driver, Henri Paul. The only survivor was Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was badly hurt.
Forensic experts are expected to examine the car, which is on loan, for clues to understand what happened when it crashed into a pillar inside a Paris tunnel.
They will also be using the latest technology to build a computer model of the crash scene, the Metropolitan police said.
"The forensic examinations will also enable a computer-generated model of the Alma underpass to reflect exactly the movement of the car on the road," a police spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.
She said the findings will be included in a police report that will be released "in due course." She declined to further comment.
An official British inquest into the accident was opened in January but adjourned to allow a police investigation — which is being led by Lord Stevens, former Metropolitan Police commissioner.
In February, investigators, including surveyors and police photographers, traveled to Paris to map the crash site, using laser technology to scan the tunnel.
Numerous conspiracy theories have surfaced since Diana's death. Although a French inquiry blamed Paul for the crash, Dodi's father, Harrods boss Mohammed al Fayed, has claimed they were murdered.
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