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Limousines parked in front of the Ritz on August 31, 1997 -- shortly before Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed left the Paris hotel. The pair died in a high-speed crash after leaving the hotel.
Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed can be seen in the back of their car after leaving the Ritz. The photo was made available in 2007 from evidence presented at an inquest into the cause of crash.
Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed can be seen in the back of their car after leaving the Ritz. The photo was made available in 2007 from evidence presented at an inquest into the cause of crash.
Another photo made available from the inquest evidence shows the wreckage of the car in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.
Another photo made available from the inquest evidence shows the wreckage of the car in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel.
Another angle of the scene of the crash can be seen in this photo released from the inquest evidence.
Another angle of the scene of the crash can be seen in this photo released from the inquest evidence.
The wreckage of the car Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed were riding in when they crashed.
The wreckage of the car Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed were riding in when they crashed.
The wreckage of the car is prepared to be moved after the crash.
The wreckage of the car is prepared to be moved after the crash.
The wreckage is lifted onto a waiting truck.
The wreckage is lifted onto a waiting truck.
A French police expert can be seen in the background working on the wreckage in the tunnel where they crashed.
A French police expert can be seen in the background working on the wreckage in the tunnel where they crashed.
HIDE CAPTION
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
The scene of the crash
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Ministry of Defence says claim is for civilian police to deal with
- But police seem to be knocking down claim commandos involved in Diana's death
- Allegation emerged amid collapse of soldier's marriage
- London police stress it is not re-investigating, merely assessing credibility
But British police seem to be knocking down the claim -- that the British military was involved in the deaths of Diana, her boyfriend and driver in August 1997.
"This is not a re-investigation," London police tersely stressed in a statement that revealed none of what it had been told.
The claim appears to have been sent first to military authorities and then 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 future princess, Lady Diana Spencer on her first birthday at Park House, Sandringham, on July 1, 1962.
Diana is seen during a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex, in 1971.
Diana is seen during a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex, in 1971.
Diana, at age 14, is "kissed" by her pony, Scuffle, in 1974.
Diana, at age 14, is "kissed" by her pony, Scuffle, in 1974.
Before marrrying Prince Charles, Diana worked as a nanny. Here she is seen with two of her charges in 1980, the year before she married.
Before marrrying Prince Charles, Diana worked as a nanny. Here she is seen with two of her charges in 1980, the year before she married.
Lady Diana and Prince Charles in 1980.
Lady Diana and Prince Charles in 1980.
Prince Charles and Diana arrive at Goldsmith Hall in London for a charity recital in March 1981.
Prince Charles and Diana arrive at Goldsmith Hall in London for a charity recital in March 1981.
Lady Diana attends the Royal Ascot horse race on June 18, 1981.
Lady Diana attends the Royal Ascot horse race on June 18, 1981.
Diana and Charles were wed on July 29, 1981. The princess, clad in an Emanuel wedding dress, leaves St. Paul's Cathedral with her husband.
Diana and Charles were wed on July 29, 1981. The princess, clad in an Emanuel wedding dress, leaves St. Paul's Cathedral with her husband.
Diana and Charles leave St. Mary's Hospital after the birth of their first son, Prince William, on July 22, 1982, in London.
Diana and Charles leave St. Mary's Hospital after the birth of their first son, Prince William, on July 22, 1982, in London.
Prince Harry shows a bit of his personality, which doesn't appear to please his mother, on June 11, 1988, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Prince Harry shows a bit of his personality, which doesn't appear to please his mother, on June 11, 1988, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Diana listens to children during a visit to the British international school in Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 6, 1989.
Diana listens to children during a visit to the British international school in Jakarta, Indonesia, on November 6, 1989.
Diana sits on Banana Beach during a trip to the West Indies on Januray 4, 1993.
Diana sits on Banana Beach during a trip to the West Indies on Januray 4, 1993.
Diana and Harry are accompanied by family friend Catherine Soames and her son Harry during a pre-Easter skiing trip in Lech, Austria, on March 24, 1994.
Diana and Harry are accompanied by family friend Catherine Soames and her son Harry during a pre-Easter skiing trip in Lech, Austria, on March 24, 1994.
Diana is seen at the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington on June 17, 1997. Diana was passionately involved in the British Red Cross Landmine Campaign.
Diana is seen at the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington on June 17, 1997. Diana was passionately involved in the British Red Cross Landmine Campaign.
Princess Diana
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New info on Diana's death surfaces
The U.K.'s 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.
They were being followed at the time by the paparazzi after leaving the Ritz Hotel. Their driver, Henri Paul, also killed, was drunk and driving at high speed, investigators concluded. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor.
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 2008 concluded that their deaths were the result of "grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes." The inquest found no evidence of murder.
Yet the deaths have always been paired with conspiracy theories accusing British and French intelligence services and members of British royalty of orchestrating her death.
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' life.
It's unclear whether these allegations will make it any farther than previous claims have. London police certainly aren't about to make any big announcements, based on the terse closing line of their statement.
"Not Prepared to Discuss Further," Scotland Yard said in its statement.
Michael Pearson wrote and reported from Atlanta; Atika Shubert reported from London; CNN's Bharati Naik also contributed to this report.
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