Princess Diana's final moments: Firefighter recounts tragic accident
In August 1997, a dramatic car accident occurred in one of the Parisian tunnels. One of the victims was Princess Diana, who was 36 years old at the time. "The Queen of Hearts" was alive when emergency services arrived. It was to one of the firefighters that Diana spoke her last words.
Diana died in a car accident that took place in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris nearly 27 years ago. For over two decades since the incident, many conspiracy theories have surrounded the final moments of King Charles III's ex-wife. Media reports indicate that driver Henri Paul lost control of the vehicle and hit one of the tunnel's pillars. When emergency services arrived, Princess Diana was still alive.
Firefighter Xavier Gourmelon was involved in the rescue operation. Two decades after Diana's tragic accident, he revealed the dying princess's last words. He emphasised that when he and his colleagues arrived at the scene, no one knew that one of the victims was Diana. When the firefighter approached her, she was unconscious. However, at one point, she regained consciousness.
She looked at me and said: "Oh my God, what happened?" — recounted the French firefighter in an interview with "Good Morning Britain" in 2017.
According to Xavier Gourmelon's story, Diana seemed extremely agitated but lost consciousness again after a moment.
He hoped Diana could be saved. It turned out differently
Xavier Gourmelon admitted that when the princess was pulled from the wreckage, her condition deteriorated rapidly. "I massaged her heart, and a few seconds later, she started breathing again" — the firefighter recounted.
Gourmelon admitted that the princess had no visible injuries, so he did not lose hope that the staff at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris would save her. However, that did not happen. Diana's heart stopped around 5:00 AM Greenwich Time, this time for good.
