Princess Diana's former bodyguard reveals he's haunted by single regret after crash
Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of the car crash that killed Princess Diana
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, has opened up about the haunting regret that has followed him for nearly three decades: wishing he could have died in her place.
Trevor is the sole survivor of the devastating 1997 Paris car crash that killed Princess Diana, her partner Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul.
He says the trauma of that night and the unanswered questions continue to weigh heavily on him.
Princess Diana’s former bodyguard opens up over fatal crash
“If it could have been me that died, I would’ve done it. I really would,” Trevor told Radar Online. “But you can’t turn back the clock.”
Now 56, Trevor was left with catastrophic injuries after the Mercedes S280 carrying Diana slammed into the 13th pillar of the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
Every bone in his face was crushed, and he spent months in recovery. But the emotional scars have been harder to heal.
His last memory before the crash, he says, is seeing a white Fiat Uno following closely behind the car.
This detail has become central to the many conspiracy theories surrounding Diana’s death.
“My clearest, and last, memories of the night are of the Mercedes pulling away,” he said. “I saw again the white or light-colored car that crossed the road and followed us.”
Moira Johnston, who helped write Trevor’s autobiography, described what he told her.
“Just as Henri Paul was simultaneously faced with navigating the left curve and substantial dip which led into the tunnel, he was confronted by a small white Fiat Uno blocking the right lane. With contact with the Fiat Uno, the crash sequence had begun.”
That white car has long been at the centre of speculation that Diana’s death wasn’t an accident.
Some believe the Fiat was used to force the Mercedes off the road, potentially part of a covert plot to stop Diana from marrying Dodi Fayed. A later investigation led by Lord John Stevens concluded that a Fiat Uno was indeed involved in the crash. However, the identity of the driver remains unknown.
Stevens attempted to contact a man named Le Van Thanh, whose family once owned a white Uno that was reportedly repainted after the crash. However, he refused to speak.
Royal bodyguard holds no grudges
Despite surviving the crash, Trevor has fiercely denied suggestions he was part of any cover-up.
In the years that followed, Trevor struggled with trauma, turning to partying and antidepressants.
He was mocked in his hometown of Oswestry, Wales, where locals nicknamed him “Crash Test Dummy” and “Jigsaw.”
Still, he bears no grudges. “People said cruel things, but I’ve moved on with my life.”
One wish, however, remains unfulfilled. He hopes one day to speak with Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, not for forgiveness, but for peace.
“I know William and Harry aren’t going to remember my name with fondness,” he said. “I’d like to see them again, to say, ‘I’m bloody sorry. There’s nothing more I could’ve done.'”
Read more: In pictures: Princess Diana’s early years of married life within the royal family
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