The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor - Softcover

Rees-Jones, Trevor; Johnston, Moira

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446610046 ISBN 13: 9780446610049

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2000

Synopsis

From the point of view of Trevor Rees-Jones, here is a gripping account of the weeks that led up to the crash, the relationship between Dodi and Princess Diana, and the fateful, chaotic events of that tragic night. In the end, it is a profoundly moving story of a young man who entered a realm of fame and glamour, little realizing it would almost cost him his life and cast a dark shadow of suspicion over him...and that he would emerge from all of it with his dignity and honor intact.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Where were you when Diana died?

For Trevor Rees-Jones the answer is simple: he was in the same hospital as Diana, fighting for his own life a few rooms away. As bodyguard to her companion Dodi Fayed, he was with the couple when, hounded by paparazzi and with a driver who turned out to be drunk, their Mercedes crashed into the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel under the Place de l'Alma in Paris. Dodi and the driver, Henri Paul, died instantaneously, medics say; Diana was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors worked feverishly to resuscitate her before giving up in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Miraculously, Trevor survived. But his condition was critical -- internal chest injuries and a broken wrist were the least of it. His head had taken the brunt of the impact and suffered catastrophic damage; his face was crushed beyond recognition. In a stunning medical drama, however, a facial surgeon performed a miracle of reconstruction, and -- along with Trevor's own indomitable will and the support of his family and friends -- the bodyguard was able to leave hospital after just over a month. His goal then was straightforward: to return to a normal life as soon as possible, go back to work for his employer, Mohamed Al Fayed, and to the simple pleasures of rugby and his mates at home in Shropshire.

But the crash that nearly killed him had killed Diana, Princess of Wales, one of the most famous women of the late twentieth century. A normal life was no longer an option. And as Mohamed Al Fayed's grief at the loss of his son quickly turned into a desperate hunt for reasons, for culprits and conspiracy, Trevor found his unswerving loyalty to the Boss at first questioned and then,ultimately, destroyed, as Fayed pointed the finger of blame at him.

THE BODYGUARD'S STORY grippingly describes, for the first time, Trevor Rees-Jones's part in these astonishing events. From the prelude to Paris, when Trevor found himself minding the Princess and her two sons in the south of France, to the crash itself and its causes and consequences, this book reveals the true, first-hand account of one of the most sensational news stories of the last century. Compelling, alarming and yet deeply moving, it is a remarkable story of courage under fire, and of how ordinary people can react to extraordinary circumstances and survive, scarred, but with their souls and values intact.

About the Author:

"Trevor Rees-Jones was born in 1968. A former soldier, he then joined the security staff of Mohamed Al Fayed, the controversial Egyptian multi-millionaire businessman and owner of Harrod's, and worked as personal bodyguard to Fayed's son Dodi. In the summer of 1997, as a friendship developed between Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, Trevor found himself a first-hand witness to the events leading up to the crash that would kill them both on August 31 in Paris.

Following his discharge from the hospital, Trevor returned to the UK in October 1997, and was an inside party to the French investigation that followed. He resigned from his job with Fayed the following April, and now lives in Oswestry, Shropshire."

About this edition

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0446610046
• ISBN 13: 9780446610049
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 416