Princess Diana,
The Most Beloved Woman in the World.

Though there is much speculation about her death ETV focuses on the most comprehensive research conducted by Patricia Cornwell. Below are excerpts taken from Primetime interview with Patricia Cornwell.
It seemed so unimaginable that Diana, Princess of Wales, along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, son of controversial billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, should die along with their driver in a simple car crash. Almost from the beginning, there were those who thought there were darker forces at work. Seven years later, the questions are still going strong.
A recent Sky News poll showed 87 percent of Britons believe Princess Diana's death was not an accident.
A new book by Paul Burrell, Diana's butler and close confidant, contains a letter he says came from the princess, in which she related a premonition she would be murdered in a car accident. It created a firestorm in England.
Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi's father, has long claimed the deaths of his son and the princess were orchestrated by British intelligence at the urging of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband and Diana's former father-in-law.
Primetime asked famed crime writer Patricia Cornwell <http://www.patricia-cornwell.com> to take a fresh look at the case.
A Mysterious Burglary
Cornwell began her search for answers not with the night of the crash in Paris, but the next night, when burglars struck the London home of Lionel Cherruault, a photographer who also buys pictures for a French photo agency.
The night of the crash, most of the paparazzi who had been following Diana and Dodi were rounded up by police, and their film was confiscated.
But a few left before the police arrived and one of them called Cherruault to tell him he had photos to sell — and would e-mail them.
When Cherruault's house was burgled, though, his expensive cameras and equipment were not taken. Instead, all the hard drives to his computers were removed. Every digitally stored photo he possessed was gone.
The next day, Cherruault says, a mysterious man in a gray suit with gray hair visited and told him he had been "targeted."
"He said, 'Well, you can call them what you like, gray men, MI-5, MI-6, MI-7, MI-8, MI-9, Special Branch, local henchmen, anything you like, but the person who came into your house had a map of your house, had a key into your house and knew exactly where to go,' " Cherruault said.
In the Bloodstream
For French investigators, the cause of the crash that killed Diana could not have been more tragic — or straightforward. They concluded the crash was caused by the driver, Henri Paul, who was drunk and under the influence of antidepressants.
Al Fayed and his lawyers have questioned whether the blood samples tested were really Paul's, but French judges have denied repeated motions seeking DNA testing.
It was something else in the toxicology report that baffled Cornwell: It said Henri Paul's bloodstream levels registered at 20.7 percent carbon monoxide saturation. French investigators say the levels came from the car's air bags.
To test that possibility, Primetime rigged up an American equivalent of the car Paul was driving with high-speed cameras and a sensitive carbon monoxide detector, then deployed the driver's air bag. The resulting levels "may as well be nonexistent," Cornwell said.
Marks on the Pavement
Cornwell also had questions about Paul's decision to make the short drive from the Ritz Hotel, where the couple had dined, to Dodi's apartment not on the Champs Elysees, which would have been a straight shot, but through a circuitous route that included the tunnel where they died.
Looking over police diagrams of the tunnel and crash site, Cornwell said she saw evidence of something seemingly overlooked by other investigators. The police diagram of what have been called skid marks on the pavement are actually yaw marks, she said, "made by a quick turn at a high rate of speed."
"It does not appear that those brakes engaged," Cornwell said.
She also said, to the best of her knowledge, there was no examination of the bottom of Paul's shoes. After a driver has gone from a high rate of speed to a dead stop, you can sometimes tell if a foot was on the brake at the time of the impact by looking at the bottom of the shoe, she said.
"Let's say his foot was on the brake. But yet, there are no skid marks," she said. "What does that tell you about the brakes?"
Was Paul a Dupe?
Richard Tomlinson, who worked for MI-6, the British version of the CIA, for 5 ∏ years, told Cornwell that while he was with MI-6 he came across a plan to assassinate then-Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic that he believes was eerily similar to how Diana died.
He says the proposal called for using a flashgun — a device he says is used by British special forces to blind an adversary — in a tunnel.
According to Tomlinson's theory, Paul could have been ordered to drive into the tunnel, not knowing he was driving into an ambush.
Tomlinson says he testified before the French court overseeing the crash investigation that he believed Paul may have been an unwilling dupe in an MI-6 plot to kill Diana.
But Tomlinson had no direct knowledge or evidence of such a plot — and in the end, the judge ruled it was an accident.
Cornwell found one witness whose story appears to back up Tomlinson's scenario. Francois Levy says he was driving in the tunnel that night, and in his rear-view mirror, he saw a motorcycle cut in front of the car behind him, then a flash of light, and then the crash.
During their two-year investigation, the police interviewed hundreds of witnesses, including Levy — but in the end, clearly discounted his testimony. Levy is the only witness who reported the flash of light.
"Witnesses, God bless them," Cornwell said. "It's the Tower of Babel where you hear 20 different languages and not one of 'em makes sense to the other."
‘They’ll Kill Me’
Karen McKenzie was Dodi's housekeeper for 11 years, and now his father pays her to keep Dodi's London apartment as a kind of shrine.
But it is not the ghost of Dodi that haunts her but the sole survivor of the crash, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones.
Rees-Jones has said he had no memory of the crash, but one interaction McKenzie says she had with him still brings her to tears.
"He said, 'If I remember, they'll kill me,' " she said.
McKenzie told Cornwell she didn't know what he meant by that. "I don't know who 'they' are."
Cornwell said it should be noted that this conversation took place at a time when conspiracy theories were rampant.
Did Rees-Jones really say what McKenzie says he did? And if so, was he right to be afraid? Or weak, and still recovering, had he too succumbed to the conspiracy paranoia?
How Serious Was the Romance?
For a conspiracy theory to have any basis, the relationship between Diana and Dodi had to have been truly serious.
If the princess had chosen to marry Dodi, Prince William — Diana's elder son and the future king of England — would have had a Muslim stepfather, and perhaps, down the line, Muslim half brothers and sisters.
Al Fayed says he knows the princess was pregnant at the time of her death because Diana told him so during a phone conversation. But Rosa Monckton, one of Diana's closest friends, says she's absolutely sure Diana wasn't. "I was with her 10 days before she died. And she had her period in that time," Monckton said.
For years, conspiracy theorists have claimed Diana was embalmed in Paris before her autopsy in London, in order, they say, to obscure evidence. Embalming involves draining the body of fluids and replacing them with preservatives.
But Robert Thompson, the morgue assistant who took part Diana's autopsy, told Cornwell there was no formal embalming, just some wadding inserted into the body that had probably been soaked in formaldehyde.
He also said the coroner told him "quite clearly" that Diana wasn't pregnant.
However, Cornwell says she is a little bothered about Thompson's story because "at one point the coroner called him over and said — look, she wasn't pregnant, and showed him the inside of the uterus."
"It's as if he's answering a question that I didn't hear asked," she said.
Could Diana Have Been Saved?
Perhaps the biggest question of all is, did Diana really have to die?
Cornwell asked Dr. Marcella Fiero, chief medical examiner of the state of Virginia, to examine the evidence.
Fiero said the impact of the crash had created a small tear in Diana's aortic vein, which was not necessarily fatal.
But medical procedures are different in France. French ambulances are outfitted to be mini-emergency rooms, complete with a doctor. They are not equipped to perform major surgery.
It was an hour and 40 minutes before Diana arrived at the hospital. "If that was the only significant injury in the chest or abdomen," Fiero said, "if she had arrived at a trauma center, I believe the surgeons could have treated that "
Quest for an Inquest
Martine Monteil, who headed up the investigation and has never before spoken publicly about the case, told ABCNEWS the crash was an accident.
"It was not part of a plot," she said.
She said if she had had the slightest suspicion that Paul was involved in any conspiracy, "the inquiry might still be going on."
Buckingham Palace told Primetime it sympathizes with Mohamed Al Fayed's loss, but said his theory that Prince Philip may have been behind the accident is baseless.
As for Richard Tomlinson's claims of MI-6 involvement, the British Foreign Office says there is not a shred of evidence to substantiate allegations of a conspiracy. It says Tomlinson seems to enjoy making sensationalist allegations.
Finally, Trevor Rees-Jones didn't respond to ABCNEWS' request for comment, but continues to maintain he does not remember anything about the crash.
Cornwell believes these denials of a conspiracy will fall on deaf ears until an inquest is held — and a public voice is given to what she maintains are still troubling questions.
This past summer, almost exactly six years after the crash, the royal coroner announced that he would finally be setting a date for the long-awaited inquest into Diana's death.
The announcement was hailed by Al Fayed and others. Later that same week, the coroner quietly withdrew the announcement. As of tonight, a date for the inquest has still not been set.

Alizabeth James' is proud to spotlight,
her 'First Cousin' (Twice Removed)
The Incomparable Hildegarde!

Long before all those other one name performers, Madonna, Cher, even before Liberace, there was Hildegarde. A press agent dubbed the cabaret star the Incomparable Hildegarde, the name stuck. Although she was born in Milwaukee, Hildegarde eventually became the toast of Paris. At one time, just a mention of her name evoked visions of elegance and sophistication.
Hildegarde began her career playing piano in silent movie theatres. Later, she began to sing, performing in clubs and bars. For a few years, she toured the vaudeville circuit, accompanying the popular black-face entertainer Gus Edwards. In 1933 she visited London, playing in cabaret and building a reputation as an international entertainer. Her real breakthrough to popularity came almost by chance. Her manager, Anna Sosenko, wrote a song especially for her, in which English and French words were skillfully mixed. The song, "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," became synonymous with Hildegarde; and the intriguing mixture of languages allied to both her faintly exotic-sounding name and her husky delivery led audiences to believe that she was of European origin. If she was aware of this misapprehension, Hildegarde was too smart to set the record straight, recognizing that as a slightly mysterious Continental chanteuse she would attract more attention than as a simple songstress from Wisconsin.
Later she went to Paris where she gave her first command performance for King Gustov of Sweden in the Casanova, a Parisian Boite. She continued to appear in many famous rooms in London, Cannes, Brussels. Hildegarde had been friends with the King of England.
Hildegarde was part of "The Birth of Live Entertainment and Music on Television, November 6, 1936." Experimental Television Demonstration For The Press National Broadcasting Company RCA Building, Radio City, N.Y. NBC put out 40-minute test pilot illustrating RCA experimental developments. The pictures were broadcast from the transmitter on top of the Empire State Building, and were received on the 62nd floor of the RCA Building. Hildegarde, international star performed 2 live songs. The Ink Spots performed live also, Hoppy Jones, Deek Watson, Bill Kenny, and Charlie Fuqua, these were television firsts! Music Television and the spirit of MTV should mark November 6, 1936 as their birth.
In 1986 Hildegarde performed at Carnegie Hall for her 80th birthday, the event was memorialized by film and aired Sunday Morning February 2, 1986, With Charles Kurault" on CBS.
That same year Hildegarde received an investment from Pope Paul VI, as "The Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher Of Jerusalem." The event took place at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC.
Hildegarde retired at the age of 89 after 69 years in show business.
 

---

Additional press:

Each month, musicbizadvice.com profiles an artist from the past. Some you may have heard of, some not, but we hope you'll take time to check out their music...especially if it's something different from you usually listen to. This month, we rediscover the Incomparable Hildegarde, who is credited as being the 4th most prolific recording artist in the world. July 2003

The Incomparable Hildegarde
Hilegarde's life and career reads like a cross between Who's Who and A History of the Modern Recording Industry: Irving Berlin discovered she could sing. In the roaring 20's, she had one of the first female managers in the music business, Anna Sosenko, who helped transform her from Milwaukee farm girl Hildegarde Loretta Sell to a one-name, designer gown-wearing, continental chanteuse--thus making Hildegarde the first popular singer with one name. She was one of the first international recording artists, playing London and Paris, and King Gustov of Sweden fell madly in love with her. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt dubbed her "the First Lady of supper clubs. Friends George and Ira Gershwin wrote songs about her ("My Cousin From Milwaukee") and for her, and she was the first artist to record many of the songs we think of as "old standards" today ("I'll Be Seeing You" is just one example). In 1937 she starred in a show for a little experiment called Television, making Hildegarde one of the first TV stars. Hildegarde was a founding member of AFTRA, SAG, and Actor's Equity. And as if all that wasn't enough, she counted among her friends Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein, and Liberace. Her neighbors in New York were Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo.

In the 40's, Hildegarde hosted her own radio show. In the 50's and 60's she was one of the most popular cabaret acts in the world, and she continued to tour steadily until retiring at the age of 89 in 1998. Oh--and did we mention Hildegarde is also a 3rd Order Carmelite nun? But let's back up a minute...Hildegarde was born on February 1, 1906 in Adell, Wisconsin. Growing up in Milwaukee, she was a classically trained pianist. While still in school, she began playing piano in silent movie theaters to earn extra money, and in 1926 she got up the nerve to go backstage at a vaudeville show called "Gerri and her Baby Grand" and ask for audition. She auditioned by playing "12th Street Rag"--which remained in Hildegarde's act thereafter--and sang "Am I Blue." Three weeks later Hildegarde received a telegram asking her to join the show, which was her introduction to the vaudeville circuit. During her time in vaudeville she accompanied several famous performers, including Gus Edwards--who suggested she use just her first name (manager Anna Sosenko agreed)--and Ruth Etting. Irving Berlin discovered Hildegarde could sing when she moved to New York and spent time between engagements working as a song plugger at Irving Berlin's publishing house, singing songs for vaudeville producers in need of new material. In the classic "Hey the kid can sing" scenario, Irving Berlin came into the office, heard her sing, and introduced her around New York society, where she began singing at parties and meeting other prominent people in the music business. It was the Roaring '20's, it was a great time to be in New York, and Hildegarde's career was off to a great start.
In 1934, Hildegarde had her first hit with "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup," a song written by her manager, Ana Sosenko, as she rode on a bicycle through a WWI cemetery in Touquet, France. Later Hildegarde had a hit with "The Last Time I Saw Paris." That song's lyric spoke of longing for an idyllic time, and the rising tide of war in Europe made it a haunting tribute with international popularity. By now, King Gustov of Sweden had long fallen for Hildegarde, and the French connection combined with her exotic sounding name led the public to believe she was from Europe--and they embraced her as a sophisticated continental chanteuse. Later, publicist Seaman Jacobs dubbed her "The Incomparable Hildegarde," and the phrase became so synonymous with Hildegarde that her name is listed under "I" in Actors Equity records. During World War II, Hildegarde introduced "I'll Be Seeing You," a song by Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain that once again captured the public's emotions of the time. This led to hosting her own radio show, "Hildegarde's Raleigh Room," in the Tuesday night lineup with shows by Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and "Fibber McGee and Molly." The lineup was so popular, box office receipts at movie theaters plummeted, causing film distributors to band together and create giveaway promotions such as the infamous "dish nights" to lure patrons back in.
Hildegarde's career as a successful recording artist wound down in the 50's but she continued to record and perform sold-out engagements at hotels and cabarets, wearing her trademark opera gloves (it was Hildegarde who made them a popular fashion statement) and lace handkerchief, and giving long-stemmed roses to members of the audience. She performed until age 89, finally informing her longtime manager that the travelling was "not fun anymore." After being featured along with other cabaret performers in Vanity Fair in June 1998, Hildegarde retired at the Town Hall gala tribute celebrating the 100th anniversary of Oscar Hammerstein II's birth.
The Incomparable Hildegarde is now 98 years young and lives in New York. Always a religious woman, she is a 3rd order Carmelite nun.

Samples of Hildegades music.

Cheek to Cheek
If I knew you were coming I'd bake a cake
I Love you in any language
Lili Marlene