Diana’s Driver Abused Alcohol in Days Before Crash, Tests Show

The latest tests involving the driver of Princess Diana’s car show that he was abusing alcohol for at least a week leading up to their fatal crash and that he was on prescription drugs for months, sources said Tuesday.

Blood tests on Henri Paul’s body, ordered by Herve Stephan, an investigating magistrate, show “moderate chronic alcoholism for at least a week” before the Aug. 31 crash, the judicial sources said.

Prior tests revealed the presence of the anti-depressant Prozac and tiapride, a drug used to combat alcoholism, and have shown Paul had more than three times the legal level of alcohol in his blood at the time of the crash.

Analyzing strands of hair, investigators determined that Paul had been taking Prozac since May and tiapride since July, the sources said.

Investigators are focusing on Paul’s condition and the speed he was traveling as likely causes of the crash. They are also considering whether photographers tailing the Mercedes-Benz he was driving had a role in the crash.

Police will stage a detailed reenactment of the crash to try to determine the events that led up to it, a judicial source said Tuesday.

The date of the reenactment has not yet been decided, and it was not clear whether it would be conducted at the high speeds the car was believed to be traveling the night of the crash.