Squadron leader who flew Princess Diana's body back from Paris after she died in 1997 car crash dies aged 80

The RAF veteran pilot tasked with repatriating the body of Princess Diana back to the UK from Paris after a fatal car crash in 1997 has died aged 80.Squadron Leader Graham Laurie, who served as the personal pilot for the Prince of Wales, now King Charles, for almost two decades, died on August 8.Over the 19 years he served with the Queen's Flight at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, between 1981 and 2000, Laurie amassed an incredible 13,500 flying hours, including 2,214 royal flights. By the time he had retired, the dedicated pilot had flown Charles to 767 engagements.But out of the thousands of flying hours he clocked up over the years, Laurie's most cherished mission was that of taking Princess Diana 'on her final flight home'. Recalling years later the events of August 31, 1997, Laurie revealed how his son, Graham, had woken him at 2am after returning from a party to inform him the Princess of Wales had been involved in a serious car crash.Diana and her partner Dodi Fayed, alongside the driver, Henri Paul, died from their injuries following the collision in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in central Paris.Realising the gravity of the situation, Laurie arrived at RAF Northolt in west London within hours and flew to Diana's sisters, before stopping in Aberdeen to pick up Prince Charles and onwards to Paris. Squadron Leader Graham Laurie, who served as the personal pilot for the Prince of Wales, now King Charles, for almost two decades, has died aged 80 Out of the thousands of flying hours he clocked up over the years, Laurie's most cherished mission was that of taking Princess Diana 'on her final flight home'He 'guesstimated' the entire round trip would take until 7pm that evening - a time that was swiftly conveyed to the world's press, adding to the pressure laid on his shoulders.But known for almost always keeping to his schedules, Laurie landed the BAe 146 bearing Diana's body at precisely 6.51pm.The Times reported the experienced pilot said of that moment: 'As we slowly proceeded to the airport apron, hundreds of press and TV cameras watched our every move. 'The Queen's Colour Squadron acted as pallbearers to the nearby hearse, doing a magnificent job considering they had no time to practise.' He also recalled how within 20 minutes he was back in the air, this time to return Charles to Balmoral. Laurie said he would always remain 'honoured' for his role in a moment watched by millions around the world. 'That entire week was a daze, but on reflection, having flown Princess Diana over 200 times in the past, I was honoured to fly her on her final flight home,' he said. The events of 1997 were a bittersweet turnabout of three years previously, when Laurie came under fire for allowing the Prince of Wales to take the controls of a British Aerospace 146 aircraft - before the future King crashed the aircraft as he came into land at Islay in the Inner Hebrides.Three tyres burst as the £10million 'Whisper Jet' touched down in 33mph winds and it overshot the runway - damaging the nose cone, landing gear and weather radar.Responsibility for the accident on board the plane carrying 11 people from Aberdeen was placed squarely on the plane's captain even though Charles was at the controls. Laurie was severely criticised in a Ministry of Defence report which claimed he should have grabbed the controls from the Prince.Experts estimated the crash caused £1million worth of damage.The pilot later admitted he should have got Charles to pull up the plane, in a 2019 Channel 5 documentary Secrets of the Royal Flight. Laurie, who was suspended during the 1994 crash inquiry, said: 'The nose wheel had landed because it was right beneath us, so we were bumping along the runway.'But what we didn't realise was the main wheels were still slightly clear of the ground, so consequently when I took over I still couldn't stop it going off the end.'With hindsight, of course, I should have got him to overshoot and make another approach. But I actually told him to land, so he did exactly what he was told to do.'The report accused Laurie of negligence and concluded the plane's navigator was also 'negligent' for failing to advise the captain of vital data during the landing. While he was never formally disciplined, the Royal Air Force did admit at the time his negligence would have 'career implications'. Charles grounded himself from flying after the accident, which St James's Palace said at the time was a 'personal decision the Prince took on his own'. Trouble hit the jet as it landed on June 29, 1994 – which was also the day of a controversial documentary in which Charles confessed he had committed adultery. The accident happened as Charles was landing on Islay as part of a five-day official visit to Scotland, with the aircraft hitting the ground at too high a speed.As it rapidly ran out of airstrip, Charles was forced to brake drastically, skewing the jet round to avoid sliding onto rough land.The impact blew three tyres, and the four-engined jet came to a halt at right angles to the runway, 60ft from a 14ft drop into a stream.Charles later made light of the accident, saying: 'It wasn't quite a crash. We went off the end of the runway, unfortunately. It is not something I recommend.'Despite being scolded by his superiors, Laurie continued on as Charles' personal pilot. Graham Harvey Laurie was born in Mitcham, Surrey, on December 15, 1945. He attended Rutlish Grammar in New Malden, southwest London, where former Prime Minister John Major was two years above him. They played together on the school cricket team, with Laurie appointed as captain. In 1964, he joined the RAF and served with the 46 Squadron supporting the Parachute Regiment and Special Forces.By 1981 he was training pilots to fly the Andover, a twin-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. Soon after, he was selected to join the Queen's Flight at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, a dedicated unit for transporting the royal family to their varying engagements. By the time he had retired, Laurie was rewarded with a pair of silver cufflinks from the Prince - who he affectionately called 'the Boss' - and an appointment to the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1991. He is survived by Jo, his wife of 58 years, who was a former RAF flight lieutenant and their two children, Jo and Graham.