Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were being followed by paparazzi photographers on the night they died. The number of motorcycles in pursuit has been disputed for nearly thirty years. The French inquiry found the pursuit was a contributing factor. The British inquest agreed.

At 12:20 AM on August 31, 1997, a black Mercedes S280 left the rear entrance of the Ritz Paris. It was carrying Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed, their bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, and driver Henri Paul. The decision to use the rear entrance, and the choice of the Mercedes rather than the decoy car deployed at the front of the hotel, had been made in an attempt to avoid the photographers gathered outside.
The attempt did not succeed. Photographers on motorcycles and scooters followed the car from the hotel. The number of vehicles in pursuit was disputed in subsequent inquiries, with estimates ranging from three to ten or more.

The French investigation and the subsequent British inquest both concluded that the pursuit contributed to the circumstances of the crash. Henri Paul was found to have a blood alcohol level significantly above the legal limit. His speed in the Alma tunnel was estimated between 60 and 65 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.

The combined effect — a driver with compromised reaction time, in a high-speed vehicle, in a tunnel, with pursuing vehicles behind — produced an outcome the investigations found to be the result of grossly negligent driving rather than deliberate cause.

The photographers following the car were detained by French police. Several were initially charged and subsequently cleared. The photographs they took, in and immediately after the tunnel, were not published in France and Britain for several years under press agreements. Some have never been published.
She was being followed because she was always being followed. That night, what followed her followed too close.