The Crown season six recently landed on Netflix and depicts the events leading up to the devastating death of Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul. However, there was a fourth person in the car who survived the horrific tragedy. Trevor Rees-Jones was bodyguard to Dodi and Diana and was badly injured in the crash. So what does he remember, and where is he now?
What happened to Trevor Rees-Jones?
Trevor was the sole survivor of the crash, but was left very badly injured. He was in a coma for ten days and suffered catastrophic facial injuries, including breaking every bone in his face, which was reconstructed with 150 titanium parts by using a photo from before the crash. He spent a month in a hospital in Paris before being able to return to the UK.
At the time, the surgeon who reconstructed his face told the BBC that it was "completely smashed [and crushed]." He added: "I have never seen so many fractures on a man who was still alive." Speaking to CNN about his own experience, he said: "I had a tracking tube out of my throat so I couldn’t make any sound… [I] just had to lie there and just absorb it, and that was quite difficult to do."
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He added: "Anytime I look at the vehicle, it amazes me how anyone got out of there alive, especially myself who was sitting in the front seat."
What does Trevor Rees-Jones remember?
Trevor has spoken about his lack of memory from the crash, revealing that he could only remember leaving the Ritz, and nothing about the events of the incident, saying: "I’m the only person who can tell people for real, and I can’t remember."
He told The Guardian: "At the time, I wanted to know. I was desperate to know… If you like, it's 'survivor's guilt'. I thought a while ago it would be a lot less hassle if I wasn't around, and things could have moved on." He added in an interview with 60 Minutes: "If Henri Paul had been driving so fast that it was a security risk, that his driving was—that he couldn’t control the car, that it was going too fast, then I would like to think that I would have said, 'Slow down.'"
He gave evidence at the inquest, claiming that he had vague memories of Diana saying Dodi’s name and a motorbike driving alongside the car, but admitted that he wasn’t sure if they were real. Speaking about a conspiracy to kill Diana, he said: "I am not part of a conspiracy to suppress the truth at all. All I have ever done is give the truth as I see it."
The Crown season five recap
- Prince Charles and Princess Diana marriage breakdown
Season five began with Princess Diana devastated that their second honeymoon was halted abruptly by Princes Charles.
- "Queen Victoria Syndrome"
Prince Charles met with the Prime Minister after a published poll about the public's opinion of the monarchy. The idea of The Prince's Trust was born.
- Princess Diana In Her Own Words
Princess Diana was approached by journalist Andrew Morton to write the book, In Her Own Words.
- Annus Horribilis
The Queen's 'Annus Horribilis' was in 1992 following a fire at Windsor Castle, and the breakdown of two of her son's marriages.
- An intercepted phone call makes the news
A phone call between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was intercepted by journalists and published in a newspaper.
- Panorama Interview
The infamous and now suspect Panorama interview with Princess Diana by Martin Bashir aired much to the royal family's dismay.
The inquest confirmed that the crash was down to "unlawful killing [due to the] grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes". Speaking about the inquiry, he said: "I'm happy with the investigation's conclusion. I'm happy with what I did that night, and I've moved on from that."
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Where is Trevor Rees-Jones now?
Trevor now lives in Shropshire after working as a security director for the oil company Halliburton. He has since worked as the head of security for AstraZeneca. He wrote a book detailing his memory of the event in 2000, titled The Bodyguard:s Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor, which helped him purchase a home back in 2000.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2000, he said: "I am more than a car accident. There is more to me than just a car accident," adding: "I am confident in myself of what I did. I am confident that I did as much as I could do in that situation. I've got to look in the mirror every day and be confident with the actions I took that night. And I'm happy to do that now."
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