Clinging To Life
Neither firefighter Xavier Gourmelon nor his team could ever imagine how a car crash inside a tunnel in Paris would affect their lives and the personalities it involved. Reaching the mangled wreckage Xavier slowly pulled a blonde woman who still seemed barely conscious. Clinging to life the blonde tried to mouth barely audible words to Gourmelon. Leaning in closer to try and make sense of it, he caught a glimpse of her face and realized that he was in the process of trying to save not just any ordinary citizen – and could also be witnessing her very last words spoken.
The Car Crash
Following reports of the accident involving a Mercedes- Benz W140 in the underpass of the Pont d’Alma, Gourlemon was one of the 10 firemen that rushed to the scene. Horrific first visuals of the now mangled luxury vehicle met them with the only thing visible inside was one man, already deceased. Gourmelon looked around assessing to see if there were other victims in the car. Then he saw a blonde woman seemingly barely breathing but very weakly!
The Rescue
When Gourmelon later learn that this female passenger died he was quite shocked as her condition was fairly stable when he got her out of the wreck. Being only concerned about retrieving her out of the Benz alive he only concentrated on what was crucial at that moment to save her life. He had no clue who she was! Imagine his surprise when he, later on, learned that the blond female he rescued was Diana, Princess of Wales. Maybe this is what leads him to keep the secret of what she whispered to him as he got her out the car.
Diana’s Fate
Living near Sandringham Royal Estate, Diana Spencer was by no means a stranger to the ways of the royal family having grown up near aristocracy and seeing how they live. Unfortunately, Diana was not very successful academically which left her no choice but to take on menial jobs in the area. Never knowing what the future holds destiny stepped in changing her and her family’s future totally for unexpected bigger and better things.
The Union
Regardless of her simple means and upbringing, Diana grew up to be a lovely lady. Later on, Prince Charles, who was dating her sister Sarah noticed this quiet demeanor and it was not long after that Diana started with a serious relationship with the royal. The fairytale wedding between Diana and Charles made history in 1981 when they got married and the grand ceremony was televised worldwide. The holy ceremony and exchanging of their vows were witnessed by hundreds of millions of spectators across the globe.
All Eyes On Her
Initially marrying into the royal family seemed like a bed of roses, but it soon turned into a disaster for the simple and quite Diana who did not take well to the strict expectation of the life of royalty. This became especially evident when she discovered she was expecting a child. Her every move and supposedly private and intimate moments with her family were photographed and stalked by the media and paparazzi. This caused great darkness in her life and caused great feelings of inadequacy for the royal position and it soon became too much for her. The pressure of being in the limelight took its toll over the years and she realized that this was not the only pain she would have to endure.
Behind Closed Doors
To the whole outside world, the royal couple had a happy and perfect life. Charles and Diana were reported to both have had extramarital affairs as behind the scenes they were both miserable. Struggling to remain a positive image as a royal and saving face for the public it came to light that Diana suffered an eating disorder and battled with episodes of mental breakdowns. The publicly open affair that Charles had with Camilla Parker-Bowles with absolutely no regard to Diana’s feelings, reportedly was the nail in the coffin.
Friends and Love
Diana and Charles finally separated in 1992 and decided to live separate lives until their divorce was finalized in 1996. Feeling isolated and hardly having any close friends to confide in Diana reportedly hurt more. Fortunately, her love life did not end there and continued to flourish well after the split which was a blessing as according to a tabloid reporter the princess had very few people she would call real true friends.
Flourishing Lovelife
It was reported that suitors were not scarce for the young attractive princess and she reportedly had flings with the following men even while still married. Bodyguard Paul Manakee and dashing cavalryman James Hewitt. Expectedly the press made good use of tapes surfacing of the car dealer, James Gilbey calling her “Squidgy.” And she abruptly had to end that relationship.
Private Life
Seeking a life away from the glare of publicity Diana seemed to have found true happiness in a relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. They had the romance in total secrecy. She was on a visit with a friend at London’s Brompton Hospital and first spotted the doctor there and in fact, apparently told friends she had never met anyone like Khan.
Relationships
The relationship even evolved so well that according to Vanity Fair it was reported that marriage was even a possibility but the idea Diana allegedly had to marry in secret was dismissed by Kahn. Diana gave his suggestion of the two of them relocating to Pakistan some serious thought because that way the press would not interfere in their affairs.
Almost Married
Reportedly confiding in her friend Imran Khan – now the Pakistan minister- about her feelings for the surgeon, the romance ultimately started cooling down and faltered. This disappointment, however, didn’t stop Diana with her commitments and engagements which included visiting the ballet and meeting with Mother Theresa before she made her appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair in July 1997.
Meeting Another
St. Tropez, France was her next stop in the same month when she accepted an invitation to holiday with billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. Prince William and Harry, her boys accompanied her on this trip and the royals all stayed in the businessman’s villa. The romance with Al-Fayed’s son Dodi was, surprisingly perhaps, to have begun during this holiday.
New Love
From here on words uttered by the princess would turn out to be darkly prophetic. The princess continued to be harassed by photographers even while on vacation as they took snapshots of her on a jet ski. Later Diana told reporters at an unscheduled press briefing that she would shock them with the next thing she did.
Dodi
Dodi, the eldest son of Al-Fayed despite being the offspring of a billionaire raised in the lap of luxury surprisingly managed to carve his own way in a career as a film producer with most notably earned credits in Chariots of Fire and Hook. This was not the first meeting between Dodi and Diana as they had previously had the same circle of friends and frequented the same gatherings.
The Breakup
The surgeon Hasnat Khan would later account for the police how Diana ended their affair on her return to London. Suspecting that Diana had started a new relationship with someone and perhaps even with the Al- Fayed entourage. Making no secrets of the fact that the Egyptian billionaire was not highly thought of by himself he made it very clear to Diana that he strongly felt that she would be harmed by this relationship.
Smitten
Even though Dodi was already engaged he was apparently totally smitten with Diana. Testimony to his feelings for the princess the business mogul’s son had already showered her with a whole lot of expensive presents including a roomful of flowers, some tropical fruit, and a Cartier watch. When Dodi and Diana would finally start a confirmed relationship his affections would finally be returned in any event.
The Ring
In the late summer of 1997, there were numerous varying theories and opinions about the actual strength of this romance. Vanity Fair suggested that Dodi had been planning to give the princess a ring. According to Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton, the ring would be worn on her right hand and added that Diana’s intentions were to make Kahn jealous. To the other extreme, Dodi’s father was under the impression that it would be an engagement ring to celebrate their commitment.
Just Happy
Regardless of all the speculations regarding the state of the relationship the two obviously really enjoyed being in each other’s company. The paparazzi wasted no time, again, to follow them when the couple decided to jet off on a cruise to Sardinia at the end of July. While Diana attended an anti-landmine event in Bosnia in August 1997 the paparazzi wasted no time in publishing photos of the two of them cuddling on Dodi’s yacht.
Proud
The couple took up residence towards the end of August at the Hôtel Ritz in France again but this time in Paris. It was reported by the Daily Mirror in 2019 that while Dodi went out to a jeweler to purchase the ring the princess was expecting, Diana remained in their suite and waited for him. Later, during the evening of August 1997, the couple planned to go and have dinner out at the fancy Benoit restaurant.
Dealing with Paparazzi
Not that it was at all out of the ordinary, they decided to change their plans discovering that on their way to dinner they were followed by about 30 photographers. Deciding to head back to the Hôtel Ritz, on arrival the decision was to eat at the fabled hotel’s L’Espadon restaurant instead. As if their evening hadn’t been interrupted enough, on sitting down, Dodi feared that some of the guests were in fact also paparazzi. This left him and Diana no option but to head back to their room where they had their dinner.
Being Followed
Finished with their dinner the couple decided to spend a relaxing evening at Dodi’s plush apartment by the Champs-Élysées. Having been followed from the moment they wanted to leave earlier that evening, they cooked up an elaborate scheme to avoid the photographers Dodi and Diana knew were lying in wait for them.
The Scheme
The plan they hoped to finally be ensuring and enjoying a peaceful evening together would be the following. Even though it was his night off, Henri Paul, the deputy head of hotel security would drive the couple Dodi, Paul and Diana and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones all in tow would leave the back of the hotel. At the same time, two decoy vehicles would leave the front of the hotel. By now, it was the early morning of August 31, 1997.
That Fateful Night
At this point, Paul raced off into the night. The seasoned photographers soon got wind of their decoy plans and set chase after the Mercedes. It was revealed at a later inquest that the photographers tried to slow Paul down by ‘blocking” him off but Paul managed to evade them and continued on their “escape”. Now traveling at about 65mph tragedy bevels the limo and its passengers.
The Tunnel
The Mercedes reached the tunnel under Pont d’Alma but Paul lost control of the car. At the inquest, it was put forward that there were no photographers near enough to have caused this and the lapse was in Paul’s hands. This was emphasized that Paul had drunk enough alcohol to put him three times over the legal driving limit.
The Crash
The car plowed into a pillar of the central reservation and hit it with such force that the impact of the crash was vicious and deadly enough to kill Paul on impact. Sadly, despite the sight of the horrific wreckage, it was later reported that the paparazzi did little for the stricken passengers but choosing to rather snap pictures of the remnants of the smashed Mercedes. A bystander at the scene, fortunately, alerted emergency services resulting in a team of firefighters to subsequently rush to the scene from the nearby Malar station.
Help Arrives
The duty officer for that night Gourmelon headed the rescue team and he revealed to The Sun just what he and his crew had discovered. In Gourmelon’s words, “The car was in a mess, and we just dealt with it like any road accident. We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive.” He added, “For me, this was simply a banal traffic accident – one of many that emergency services have to deal with – and it was the usual causes: speed and a drunk driver.” Gourmelon commented to The Sun that it was very apparent that the driver, Paul, was indeed killed on impact and was beyond any help.
Saving Lives
Reaching Dodi who had been seated in the back of the limo it was sadly also discovered that he actually suffered a heart attack while still inside the vehicle. The paramedic called his time of death once he was lifted from the wreck. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was also badly injured, but it appeared that he would thankfully survive the accident. Fighting for his life it was very apparent that the bodyguard was very much concerned about the condition of the princess avoiding paramedics asking him to stay composed. Gourmelon finally got through to Rees-Jones that none of the paramedics understood English which managed to keep him still.
The Rescue
Now Gourlemon could finally give all his attention to this mystery “blond woman” as he referred to her and initially felt she would be fine. Diana was lying on the floor in the back, had her eyes open and she remained conscious. She was even able to make some small movements; he, however, realized the urgency of getting her out of the wreckage. Preparing to lift the princess from the vehicle he fed her oxygen and gripped her hand and all the time not having a clue who she was. Gourlemon later revealed this to The Sun and that he only learned about her identity from a fellow paramedic that she was indeed Princess Diana! In Addition to this, the fireman also revealed to the newspaper what Diana had said to him on her evacuation from the wreck.
The Bodyguard
Sadly, perhaps the last sentence the princess ever uttered was to the firefighter who tended to her. Stunned amidst the chaos of the wreckage she allegedly asked: “My God, what’s happened?” Although Gourmelon did not offer any answer from him to The Sun he did tell them what happened next. He continued administering oxygen and together with his team stayed by her side as she was taken out of the car. It didn’t take long as the wreckage did not have to be cut to extract her. As the princess was placed on the stretcher, tragically she suffered a heart attack. So perhaps yes, the last words ever uttered by the princess were said to a paramedic who tended to her.
Diana
Gourmelon immediately reacted by giving Diana aid by massaging her heart and she started breathing again. “It was a relief, of course, because as a first responder you want to save lives – and that’s what I thought I had done,” he commented.
The Princess
Relieved that he had every reason to believe she would pull through as there was no blood on her body save that one of her shoulders appeared to have been hurt- it did not appear to be serious. As things appeared now Gourmelon believed he and his team had successfully kept Diana from further harm. They shifted Diana into the ambulance and Gourmelon was optimistic about her chances, later telling The Sun, “To be honest, I thought she would live.” However not long after the emergency vehicle made its way towards Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital the Frenchman received some unexpected shocking news.
The Message
It was not long after two in the morning that Princess Diana was subsequently rushed into emergency surgery. Even though medics had battled hard to keep her alive, ultimately their struggles ended in failure. Diana, the princess loved by all had passed away. Invisible but extensive injuries –including a burst blood vessel close to her heart claimed this precious life. For Gourlemon however, the night had not ended yet.
Trying to Save a Life
Evidently, following the dramatic rescue attempt Gourmelon, the lead firefighter phoned his wife to share the evening’s rescue with her. He reported to the Sun that his wife was asleep and he told her about the accident and Princess Diana. He told her about the cardiac arrest she suffered but how he managed to revive her. At 04.00 tragically though the princess was no longer with us.
Heart Attack
For two decades Gourmelon was unable to talk about that fateful night in August. In fact, he was only able to divulge the details after he left the service. The horrifically sad memories were still very apparent and strong even years on. He said to The Sun, “I can still picture the whole scene. It’s something I’ll never forget and that I always think about at this time of year.”
No Sign of Serious Injury
Since the death of Princess Diana, surprisingly however this is not the only secret about her that has come to light. Another four words that Diana may allegedly have uttered minutes before walking down the aisle with Prince Charles have been reported has risen. Chillingly, they might just bring a tear to your eye and send shivers down your spine.