It was the tragic car crash that stunned the world and ended a fairy tale: On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana, beloved ‘People’s Princess’, died in a high-speed accident in Paris while being chased by paparazzi.
.jpg_EK1U29?tr=w-1024,cr-0.0.1024.840&config=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)
Now, 27 years later, the firefighter who was one of the first responders at the scene has shared the haunting final words of the royal icon.
That fateful night, Diana was traveling with her partner Dodi Fayed, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, and driver Henri Paul in a Mercedes-Benz S 280.
The crash not only claimed her life but also the lives of Fayed and Paul. Rees-Jones survived with severe injuries. Investigations later revealed that Paul, the deputy head of security at the Ritz Paris, was significantly over the legal alcohol limit.
Amid the chaos and flashing lights of emergency services that night, firefighter Xavier Gourmelon rushed to the wreckage under the Pont de l'Alma bridge, unaware that he was about to come face-to-face with royalty.
Recounting the incident years later on the UK's Good Morning Britain, Gourmelon revealed the princess's final words: "Oh my God, what’s happened?" He described her as agitated and trying to look around, only to lose consciousness again shortly after.
Gourmelon and his team worked tirelessly, not knowing initially that the woman he was striving to save was Princess Diana.
"She fell into a coma again, and I tried to calm her and tell her we’d look after her," he recalled.
As they managed to extricate her from the demolished vehicle, the princess suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon administered CPR, briefly reviving her before she was rushed to the ambulance.
Despite the grim scene, he believed she would survive, as he couldn’t see any visible injuries that suggested otherwise.
However, the hope was short-lived. Diana succumbed to a second cardiac arrest at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital at around 4:00AM. She was 36 years old. The loss sent shockwaves around the globe, plunging the UK into deep mourning.
Subsequent inquiries painted a grim picture of the circumstances leading to the crash. A French investigation blamed Paul for the accident due to his inebriated state.
A British inquest later ruled that Diana’s death was a result of “unlawful killing” caused by both Paul’s negligent driving and the dangerously persistent paparazzi.
.jpg_EK1U29?tr=h-40)
.jpg_O8N8Em?tr=h-184)
.jpg_mQm5Av?tr=h-184)
.jpg_pm3tQD?tr=h-184)
