London ( CNN ) -- Princess Diana , murdered ? By the British military ? Pshaw , say royal analysts in reaction to news over the weekend of a newly revealed allegation that elite British soldiers were in on Diana 's 1997 death in a Paris car crash . `` I 'm in my 40s now , and as long as I 've been alive , every four or five years there 's been another documentary , another book about the assassination of John Kennedy , '' royal analyst Mark Saunders told CNN . `` And to some extent , Diana is rapidly becoming the new Kennedy . It 's just continuous . It does n't stop . '' Wildly popular in life and death , Diana died on August 31 , 1997 , after the car she was riding in slammed into a pillar in a Paris overpass . Her boyfriend , Dodi Fayed , and their driver , Henri Paul , also died . Investigators concluded that Paul was drunk and speeding when the accident occurred , and despite at least three inquiries -- including a lengthy London police inquiry that poured cold water on all forms of conspiracy theories in Diana 's death -- whispers of collusion and cover-up have persisted . The latest claim , published by Press Association , the Sunday People newspaper and other British media outlets , alleges that members of Britain 's elite Special Air Service commando unit were involved in assassinating Diana . The 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 , but the paper indicated that the parents were questioning the integrity of the soldier , who had testified in another soldier 's court-martial . 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 commando unit was behind the deaths . Neither the Sunday People piece nor an earlier version carried by Press Association offered details of the claimed involvement by soldiers in the deaths . London police said Saturday that its investigators were assessing the `` relevance and credibility '' of the information , but stressed tersely that their review did not amount to a `` re-investigation . '' A spokesman for Lord Stevens , the former Scotland Yard chief who led the department 's inquiry , said that `` if anything new has come to light it should passed to its rightful place at the Met ( Metropolitan Police ) , who will no doubt look into the matter appropriately . '' Palace officials declined to comment to CNN over the weekend , and the UK Ministry of Defence told CNN only that `` this is for Metropolitan Police to investigate . '' The Mirror newspaper quoted Dai Davies , a former head of royal protection , as saying he was `` mystified how any new information can possibly allege anything other than this was a tragic accident . '' Saunders , author of `` Diana and the Paparazzi '' and other books on the princess , likewise said he does n't expect anything from the new revelations . `` That was one of the most intensive investigations ever carried out in this country , '' Saunders said of the London police inquiry into Diana 's death . `` And no matter how you looked at it , no matter what angle you looked at the conspiracy theories from , you just came up against a brick wall . '' `` It 's just not feasible that they would have carried out such an act , '' he said of the palace and the military . `` People do n't want to believe that someone as loved as Princess Diana can just die in a road accident , '' he said . `` It just is n't enough . They want more . '' Katie Nicholl , royal editor for the Mail on Sunday newspaper , told CNN 's Kate Bolduan on Monday that it 's worth taking a look at the timing of the allegations -- just weeks before the anniversary of Diana 's death . They also come about a month before the UK premiere of a new movie , `` Diana , '' about the princess 's life . `` It does prove , if nothing else , that 16 years on , Diana is still an irresistible news story , '' Nicholl said . `` She 's still selling papers , Kate , 16 years after her death . '' Rare photo of teenage Diana sold for $ 18 , 369 . Michael Pearson reported and wrote from Atlanta , and Eric McLaughlin reported from London . CNN 's Fionnuala Sweeney and Bharati Naik also contributed to this report .
Experts say they doubt claim published in UK media about soldiers being involved . Story of accidental death is n't enough , author Mark Saunders says ; `` They want more '' Claim alleges British military was involved in the death . The palace has declined to comment ; police say only they are assessing the information .