Ten Years After Princess Diana's Death, New Lifetime Pulse Poll Finds Nearly Half Surveyed Believe It Was Not an Accident

Ten Years After Princess Diana's Death, New Lifetime Pulse Poll Finds Nearly Half Surveyed Believe It Was Not an Accident

A Third of Respondents Feel Official Investigation Should Continue

Thirty-Five Percent Think Diana Will Be Remembered for Charity Work, Eighteen Percent for Marriage to Prince Charles

Forty-Seven Percent Say Diana Would Approve of Kate Middleton over Chelsy Davy (38%) as Prospective Daughters-In-Law

-- Airing August 25-August 27, Three Night Special Programming Event Features Lifetime Original Movie 'The Murder of Princess Diana,' Fictionalized Account of Diana's Death, and Landmark 1995 BBC Interview --

NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, Lifetime Television's latest Pulse Poll (telephone survey of 1,010 adults 7/26-7/29) found an undercurrent of public skepticism still exists surrounding the circumstances of the Princess of Wales' passing. According to this national survey, a strong minority (43%) is not convinced that her death was an accident, while nearly one-third believe investigations into the events of the evening of August 31, 1997 should continue.

A 2006 BBC poll found 43% Brits believed that the car crash which killed Princess Diana was an accident. (Gfk NOP poll of 1,000 adults in the U.K. aged 16+, conducted October 27-29, 2006)

The Lifetime Pulse Poll also found:
-- When asked about what they think Princess Diana will be most remembered
for, more than one-third (35%) say her charity work, followed by 18%
who cite her marriage to Prince Charles and another 18% her tragic
death.
-- The majority says that if Princess Diana were alive today she would
have launched a foundation (84%) and/or gotten remarried (68%).
-- Almost one-quarter (24%) feels Diana would have had more children with
17% predicting she would have eventually moved to America.
-- 47% say Diana would approve of Kate Middleton, Prince William's recent
love interest, as a prospective daughter-in-law compared to 38% who
felt she would've approved of Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry's recent love
interest.
-- Almost two-thirds don't think that Prince William's future wife will
ever be able to fill Diana's shoes as the "People's Princess."
-- Among some of the historic deaths that occurred in the last 10 years,
such as Ronald Reagan, JFK Jr., and Frank Sinatra, a significantly
higher percentage claims to remember Princess Diana's death most
clearly (33%). Almost two-thirds (62%) of the women polled expressed
an interest in learning more about the circumstances surrounding her
death.
-- The death of Lady Diana was also a personal marker for a majority of
women. Slightly more than half (52%) the women polled remember exactly
where they were when they learned she'd died.

The Lifetime Original Movie "The Murder of Princess Diana" airs in a special three night premiere Saturday, August 25 at 9PM, Sunday, August 26 at 6PM and Monday, August 27 at 9PM on Lifetime Television. The film also airs on Friday, August 31 at 9PM, the 10th anniversary of Diana's passing. All times are ET/PT.

"The Murder of Princess Diana" stars Jennifer Morrison ("House") in a fictionalized account of the book by the same name by Noel Botham, which theorized that the car crash that claimed the lives of the Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed and their chauffeur Henri Paul, was a conspiracy. Morrison portrays a journalist who witnesses the tragic car crash and quickly becomes convinced it was not just an accident. The movie is produced by Universal TV Limited, formerly WTTV Limited, the television arm of Working Title Films ("United 93," "Bridget Jones' Diary," "Pride and Prejudice") for Lifetime Television. Simon Wright ("Tales of the City") is the executive producer and Priscilla Parish ("The Robber Bride") serves as associate producer. Julia Stannard ("Sharpe's Challenge") is producer and John Strickland ("Big Love") is the director. Emma Reeves ("Doctors") and Reg Gadney ("Kennedy") wrote the teleplay.

The network will also present the candid and explosive 1995 BBC landmark interview conducted by award-winning journalist Martin Bashir with the late Princess of Wales, airing Saturday, August 25 at 8PM (ET/PT), Sunday, August 26 at 5PM (ET/PT), Monday, August 27 at 11PM (ET/PT) and Friday, August 31 at 8PM (ET/PT).

In the poignant conversation, the "People's Princess" opened up to Bashir about her personal and private life. She shed light on the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles and how the intense media scrutiny made her personal life almost unbearable. Additionally, she discussed her depression and eating disorder, her love affair with her riding trainer James Hewitt, as well as the difficulties of raising her children in a royal fishbowl. The BBC Interview with Princess Diana and Martin Bashir was originally part of the broadcaster's "Panorama" series. Mike Robinson was producer and Steve Hewlett was editor. The interview was acquired from BBC Worldwide America.

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women and Lifetime Digital (including LifetimeTV.com) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Lifetime

CONTACT: Gary Morgenstein of Lifetime, +1-212-424-7162,
morgenstein@lifetimetv.com

Web site:

http://www.lifetimetv.com/

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