A newly revealed claim of conspiracy in the death of Princess Diana has royal watchers buzzing once again , nearly 16 years after the woman who would now be a royal grandmother died in a Paris car crash . But British police seem to be knocking down the claim -- that the British military was involved in the deaths of Diana , her boyfriend and their driver in August 1997 . `` This is not a re-investigation , '' London Metropolitan Police tersely stressed , in a statement that revealed none of what it had been told . The latest claim appears to have been sent first to military authorities and then to London police by the parents-in-law of a British special forces sniper after his marriage had fallen apart , according to an article on the website of the Sunday People newspaper . It did not offer a source for its reporting . Sunday People said it had seen a seven-page handwritten letter by the in-laws alleging that the soldier , whom the newspaper did not name , had boasted to his wife that the elite British Special Air Service commando unit was behind the deaths . The UK Ministry of Defence told CNN only that `` this is for Metropolitan Police to investigate . '' Military authorities have been aware of the claim since the 2011 court-martial of the soldier 's former roommate on weapons charges , Sunday People reported . The unnamed soldier mentioned in the letter was a witness in that case , according to the newspaper . Neither the Sunday People piece nor an earlier version carried by Press Association offered details of the claimed involvement by soldiers in the deaths . Diana , 36 , and Dodi Fayed , her 42-year-old boyfriend , died when the Mercedes-Benz they were traveling in hit a pillar in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in August 1997 . They were being followed at the time by the paparazzi after leaving the Ritz Hotel . Their driver , Henri Paul , was also killed . Investigators concluded that Paul was drunk and driving at high speed . Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor . Dress Princess Diana wore to dance with Travolta auctioned . The princess left behind her two children , Prince William , whose wife recently gave birth to Diana 's first grandchild , and Prince Harry . Some 2.5 billion people around the world watched Diana 's funeral . A British coroner 's inquest in 2007 concluded that the deaths were the result of `` grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes . '' The inquest found no evidence of murder . A London police spokesman said no new information had been examined since this inquest . Yet the deaths have always been paired with conspiracy theories accusing British and French intelligence services and members of British royalty of orchestrating Diana 's death . The Daily Mirror reported in 2003 that the Princess of Wales wrote to her former butler Paul Burrell 10 months before she died , saying her life was at its `` most dangerous '' phase and warning of a plot to tamper with the brakes of her car . After their deaths , Mohamed al Fayed , Dodi 's father , said the couple were planning to announce their engagement and publicly accused Prince Philip , Diana 's former father-in-law , of orchestrating the couple 's murders . He testified at the 2007 inquest . A spokesman for al Fayed said Sunday he had no comment at this time but trusts the police will do a thorough investigation . Diana remains wildly popular in death , and news of the new claim sparked an immediate surge in discussion of her death on news sites and social media . But many seemed skeptical . `` Is it just me or does it ( seem ) like a Princess Diana conspiracy hits around this time of year , every year ? , '' Twitter user DMR09 posted . The rumors come to light weeks before the 16th anniversary of Diana 's death , and a little more than a month before the British premier of `` Diana , '' a new movie about the former princess 's life . It 's unclear whether these allegations will make it any further than previous claims have . London police seem unlikely to make any big announcements , based on the closing line of their statement . `` Not Prepared to Discuss Further , '' Scotland Yard said in the statement . Rare photo of teenage Diana sold for $ 18,369 .
Ministry of Defence says claim is for civilian police to deal with . But police seem to be knocking down claim that commandos were involved in Diana 's death . Comment: London police stress they are not re-investigating , merely assessing credibility .