The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
Starlet Trek’s ‘KHAAAN’ moment turns 35
FedEx doesn’t believe Madonna is indeed Madonna
Director says Michael Jackson wished to be monster
Amanda Seyfried talking about her nice dog is all of us
‘DWTS’ announces very first celeb for fresh season
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Game of Thrones finale sets record
Darth Vader conducts classical orchestra in Kazakhstan
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Primarily, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her beau, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she began breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep tranquil and not speak. I told him that none of my boys spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not stir. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire scene is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
Starlet Trek’s ‘KHAAAN’ moment turns 35
FedEx doesn’t believe Madonna is indeed Madonna
Director says Michael Jackson wished to be monster
Amanda Seyfried talking about her lovely dog is all of us
‘DWTS’ announces very first celeb for fresh season
So steamy! Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart recreate sexy ‘Ghost’ scene
Game of Thrones finale sets record
Darth Vader conducts classical orchestra in Kazakhstan
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Primarily, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her beau, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of trouble that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she began breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep tranquil and not speak. I told him that none of my boys spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not budge. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire gig is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
Starlet Trek’s ‘KHAAAN’ moment turns 35
FedEx doesn’t believe Madonna is truly Madonna
Director says Michael Jackson dreamed to be monster
Amanda Seyfried talking about her nice dog is all of us
‘DWTS’ announces very first celeb for fresh season
So steamy! Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart recreate sexy ‘Ghost’ scene
Game of Thrones finale sets record
Darth Vader conducts classical orchestra in Kazakhstan
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Primarily, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her beau, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she began breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep silent and not speak. I told him that none of my guys spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not budge. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire gig is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
Starlet Trek’s ‘KHAAAN’ moment turns 35
FedEx doesn’t believe Madonna is truly Madonna
Director says Michael Jackson desired to be monster
Amanda Seyfried talking about her nice dog is all of us
‘DWTS’ announces very first celeb for fresh season
So steamy! Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart recreate sexy ‘Ghost’ scene
Game of Thrones finale sets record
Darth Vader conducts classical orchestra in Kazakhstan
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Primarily, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her bf, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she began breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep peaceful and not speak. I told him that none of my studs spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not stir. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire gig is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Originally, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her beau, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she embarked breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep tranquil and not speak. I told him that none of my boys spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not budge. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire scene is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Primarily, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her bf, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she commenced breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep peaceful and not speak. I told him that none of my guys spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not stir. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire gig is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Originally, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her bf, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of distress that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she began breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep quiet and not speak. I told him that none of my studs spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not stir. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire scene is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana – s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: She Said, My God, What’s Happened?
The Firefighter Who Attempted to Save Princess Diana’s Life Gives His First-Ever Interview: “She Said, ‘My God, What’s Happened?'”
(Movie provided by Newsweek)
Two decades after Princess Diana‘s tragic death on August 31, 1997, shocked the world, the firefighter who worked to save her life is speaking out publicly for the very first time.
In a fresh interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon opens up about the night Diana died, and even collective what she said to him in the moments before her death.
Gourmelon was the one to pull Diana from the wreckage after the Mercedes in which she was railing crashed at high speed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. After she was taken out of the car, she suffered cardiac arrest. Gourmelon was able to resuscitate the royal, who was just thirty six years old, but she died at the hospital shortly after. © Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Originally, Gourmelon says he did not realize that he was treating Princess Diana — he only found out later, after she had been moved into the ambulance. And at very first, he says, it didn’t look as if she had been badly injured.
“The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident,” he told The Sun. “We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, ‘My God, what’s happened?’ ” © The Associated Press FILE- In this early Sunday, Aug. 31, one thousand nine hundred ninety seven file photo, police services prepare to take away the car in which Britain’s Diana, Princess of Wales, died in Paris, in a car crash that also killed her bf, Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur. The crash happened shortly after midnight in a tunnel along the Seine Sea at the Pont de l Alma bridge, while paparazzi on motorcycles were following her car. It has been twenty years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of trouble that followed the death of the “people’s princess.” (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)
“The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back,” he added. “She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive. I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all.”
After he resuscitated her, Gourmelon thought he had saved her life, and believed that she’d live through the terrible accident.
“I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she commenced breathing again,” he said. “It was a ease of course because, as a very first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done. To be fair I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in hospital. It was very upsetting.”
He also remembers interacting with Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was sitting in the front seat and lived through the accident, as they were pulling the passengers out of the wreckage.
“He kept asking for the princess, telling, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’ ” he said. “But my team told him to keep quiet and not speak. I told him that none of my studs spoke English so it was better for him to keep still and not budge. I told him not to worry we were looking after everyone.”
Even today, twenty years on, that night lives on in his memory. © The Associated Press Photographs and flowers are placed by people in memory of the late Princess Diana above the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997. Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
“The entire scene is still very much in my mind,” he said. “And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
Gourmelon had only opened up about that night one time before, in the inquest into Diana’s death in 2008. The reason he waited is because he continued working with the French fire service up until recently, and was not permitted to speak about his practice to a news outlet. He told The Sun that now that he had concluded his 22-year career in the service, he felt it was “okay” to speak out about his practice.