Princess Diana and Mandik

Princess Diana and Mandik: Is It a Conspiracy?

What is a Conspiracy?
Mandik’s definition of a conspiracy theory states that conspiracy theories are:
explanations of
historical events in terms of
intentional states of multiple agents (the conspirators) who, among other things,
intended the historical events in question to occur and
keep their intentions and actions secret
[1]

Princess Diana’s Murder:
The conspiracy surrounding Princess Diana’s death posits that her death in a car accident in 1997 was not, in fact, an accident, but rather orchestrated by higher-ups in the British government, with some versions even implicating members of the Royal Family. The conspiracy cites a note written by Diana in which she claimed that someone was planning an accident against her, mentioning brake failure and serious head injury. Theorists also find it suspicious that when Diana’s body was recovered she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, something close friends said she did “religiously”. Why would the monarchy want Diana dead? Theorists argue that members of the Royal Family disproved of Diana’s planned engagement to her lover Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian Muslim. The theory states that the Royal Family could not abide having a non-Christian as the potential step-father of the future king, and planned the accident to maintain the purity of the family’s bloodline.[2]

Is It a Conspiracy?
The murder of Princess Diana is an explanation of an historical event, the dead of Princess Diana, in terms of the intentional states of multiple agents (the conspirators). It explains the events of the night of her death, as well as the alleged coverup afterward. In this case, the conspirators are members of the Royal Family, as well as members of the British government who covered up the sabotage. While there is no definitive list of who was in the know, it is believed by theorists that the Queen was a conspirator, among others.

The conspirators intended the actions to occur. According to the theory, the Royal Family orchestrated the car crash, setting up the accident as well as convincing Diana not to wear her seatbelt. They intended the actions to occur to ensure that Dodi Fayed did not become part of the family (as well as in response to rumors that Diana was pregnant with Fayed’s child), as they wanted to keep the monarchy white and Christian.

The conspirators intended to keep their actions a secret. The agents set up the car crash that killed Diana to look like an accident, with accounts of her death blaming the hounding of paparazzi for the events of the ill-fated night. While this is the widely-accepted belief even by Diana’s children, theorists state it’s all part of the coverup, the shifting of blame from the Royal Family to the press. They intended to keep their actions secret, and they largely succeeded.

The Verdict:
Yes, Princess Diana’s murder is a conspiracy theory, as it meets Mandik’s necessary conditions.

Works Cited:

Bibliography
1. file:///C:/Users/Maddi/Downloads/Mandik-Shit%20Happens%20(1).pdf
id
Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License