In recent years, one prophecy in particular stands out as a classic example of how hard it is to decipher Nostradamus’ work before the event in question has occurred. Century VIII, verse 100 reads:

By the abundance of tears shed,

From top to bottom and from bottom to the very top,

Too great a faith in the game, life lost

To die of a thirst through copious flaws.

In the early hours of 31 August 1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, died from injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris. The outpouring of grief in Britain was as huge as it was universal, “from the top of Scotland to the bottom of Land’s End” as Diana’s friend, pop star Elton John put it at the time. The reaction extended throughout much of the Western world, encompassing rich and poor alike. Diana’s propensity for playing games with the media seems likely to have combined fatally with an over-confidence in her driver, who was found to be three times over the French drink/drive limit, on anti-depressant drugs and on anti-alcoholic medication, all of which may help explain why they were travelling at well over 100 mph in an inner-city area.

Looking at the text of the prophecy prior to August ‘97 would have yielded next to nothing regarding its subject, but once the events have occurred, it’s hard to miss the associations. The placing of this verse at the end of the eighth Century (or ‘Chapter of 100 verses’) also suggests significance, applying as it does to events at the end of the eighth month of that year.