Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor from the car accident in which Princess Diana lost her life on August 31, 1997, when black Mercedes driven by Henri Paul, crashed into a concrete pillar at Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
Princess Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and the driver Henri Paul died, while Trevor surprisingly survived. None of them had their seatbelts on, but it’s believed that Trevor was saved by the airbag. With airbag hitting his face, it smashed it to pieces and dust and beyond recognition. Trevor also suffered a broken wrist and chest injuries. He had a surgery which left him 10 days in a coma and it took 150 pieces of titanium to reconstruct his face.
After the accident, many questions arose. Why didn’t he drive? Why did he let an obviously drunk Henri drive? How’s that he survived and the others died? Many conspiracy theories emerged and all fingers were pointed at Trevor. Rees was defending himself saying how the accident caused him amnesia and that he didn’t remember anything. However, Dodi Fayed’s father thought he was lying and took him to the court blaming him for the death.
After the accident, Rees moved back to Shropshire County to live with his mom and step-dad. He started working friend’s sportswear store. Few years after the accident he wrote a book The Bodyguard’s Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor which was published in 2000. He earned £1 million ($1.5 million) which he used to pay the lawsuit from Dodi Fayed’s father.
Trevor then went to Iraq where he stayed during the inquest of Diana’s death. In 2008 though it was concluded that “Paul’s drunk driving and speeding—not actions by Rees, who police said was telling the truth—were to blame for the accident.”
It is believed that Trevor returned to live in Shropshire with his wife where he works as a security consultant.
Source: rd.com
