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The tragic Princess of Wales was killed almost 20 years ago in a horrifying car crash on the streets on Paris on August 31, 1997.

But in the lead up to the anniversary of her death, a documentary on French TV station M6 claims to shed new light on the accident.

Diana was being driven in a Mercedes S-280 after she lift the Hotel Ritz in Paris before crashing into a pillar in the Alma Tunnel.

The Princess, boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henry Paul all died in the horror smash.

Her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived the incident.

(Image: GETTY)

A British inquest blamed driver Henri Paul, who was speeding and over the drink-driving limit, and a paparazzi photographers for the crash.

Claims have now emerged that the Merc had been left “unroadworthy” to the point it lost control anytime it went over 40mph.

Its previous owner said it had been written off by an insurance company, documentary Death Of Diana: The Incredible Revelation reports.

(Image: GETTY) (Image: GETTY)

He said it had been stolen from him and crashed by joyriders, with his insurers claiming it was only fit for scrap and had it written off.

The man, described as a marketing executive, claims the scrap merchant rebuilt the car and then sold it on to a hire firm that supplied cars to the Ritz Hotel in the French capital.

Scotland Yard are understood to have shipped the wreckage of the car to Britain after the crash, where it remains in a compound somewhere in the UK.

Investigations led by ex-Met Police boss Lord Stevens found there were no problems with the vehicle.

His report said: "Both the French and British examinations of the Mercedes have shown that there were no mechanical issues with the car that could have in any way caused or contributed to the crash.”

Conspiracy theories have swirled around Diana’s death ever since the accident – including bizarre claims she was murdered in a plot by MI6.

Also this week, key royal insiders have given their version of events for the Channel 5 film – Diana: 7 Days That Shook The Windsors.

Caims in the documentary suggest The Queen initially thought someone “greased the brakes” when she first heard about the crash.

An inquest ruled in 2008 that Princess Diana’s death was the result of unlawful killing.

Previous investigations by British and French cops have deemed the crash was an accident.

This week, Prince William opened up about his mother in a candid interview with GQ.