Princess Diana’s Bodyguard Who Survived the Crash Says He Was ‘Pleased for Himself’ by What He Learned Later
More than two decades ago, people around the world were shocked and saddened when they learned that Princess Diana had died following a car crash in Paris. Two other people, Diana’s boyfriend at the time, Dodi Al Fayed, and the driver of the vehicle, Henri Paul, were also killed but bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived.
Following the accident, there were many questions that couldn’t be answered as the lone survivor was badly injured and had no recollection of what happened. The former bodyguard, who now goes by Trevor Rees, later said that he was “pleased” with himself after an investigation revealed he was not wearing a seatbelt that night even though it’s believed the others would have survived the crash had they worn theirs.
No one in the car was wearing a seatbelt
Rees was part of Al Fayed’s security team and was tasked with protecting the princess as well. When he was asked about the accident in which he sustained severe head injuries and had to undergo extensive surgeries, he stated that he could not remember what happened in the moments leading up to the crash. An investigation that was later conducted revealed that no one in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt on that fateful August night in 1997, and that is something Rees was “pleased” to learn he did not do.
Rees admitted that he was “pleased for himself” because bodyguards are supposed to leave their seatbelts undone so they have no restrictions and can spring into action quickly if needed.
Many people though couldn’t understand why the princess wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, especially her sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale. The royal’s sibling said that Diana “was religious in putting on her seatbelt” so she’ll never know what was different about that night.
Another one of Diana’s bodyguards says other occupants should’ve had seatbelts on
While Rees was satisfied with his decision because of what he was trained not to do in his profession, another one of Diana’s bodyguards said the princess and the others should have been buckled in.
Lee Sansum, who Diana nicknamed “Rambo,” told The Sun: “When I learned [Diana and Dodi Al Fayed] were not wearing seatbelts in the crash I understood why they didn’t survive. That shouldn’t have happened.”
He added that whenever he was around he made sure everyone did have theirs on. “It was standard practice for the family to wear seatbelts. It was an order sent down from the boss, Dodi’s dad Mohamed Al Fayed. Dodi, in particular, hated wearing seatbelts and I always insisted on it,” Sansum said.
What Rees is doing today
In the decades since the crash, Rees has rebuilt his life and today is head of security for the global company AstraZeneca.
The Daily Mail reported that when he returned to work after the accident, he was employed by the United Nations in its department of peacekeeping. He then spent several years with the U.S.-based oil operations company, Halliburton, as the Director of International Security.
Rees began working for AstraZeneca in 2017.
