Diana’s Final Words: Firefighter Recalls the Princess’s Last Moments in Paris
It was the early hours of August 31, 1997, when a car carrying Princess Diana crashed inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris — an accident that would forever change the world. Among the first on the scene was French firefighter Xavier Gourmelon, whose testimony has become one of the most poignant accounts of that night.
“Oh my God, what happened?” — these were the last words Diana spoke before losing consciousness.
The First on the Scene
Gourmelon, then a 22-year veteran of the Paris Fire Brigade, was working a night shift at the Malar fire station, located not far from the crash site. When the emergency call came through, his team of ten firefighters, split across two trucks, was among the first to arrive at the scene.
“The car was completely wrecked,” Xavier recalled. “We didn’t know who the victims were at first. It looked like any other serious road accident.”
Inside the crushed Mercedes-Benz, firefighters quickly began checking for survivors. Gourmelon saw a woman lying on the back floor of the car — moving weakly, but still alive.
“Diana said to me, ‘Oh my God, what happened?’” he told reporters years later. “She was conscious, her right shoulder was slightly injured, but there was no visible blood. I took her hand, reassured her that I was there to help, and helped get her out of the car.”
Fighting to Save Her Life
After freeing her from the wreckage, Gourmelon immediately gave Diana oxygen and stayed by her side as she was carried out of the tunnel. Moments later, her condition worsened.
“She suddenly went into cardiac arrest,” he said. “We’re all trained for that. I began chest compressions, massaged her heart, and after a few seconds she was breathing again. I really thought she would survive. She was alive when she left in the ambulance.”
When news later broke that Diana had died at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Gourmelon was devastated.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said quietly. “I thought she was safe. I had seen her breathing again.”
Realising Who She Was
At the scene, Gourmelon initially had no idea he was treating one of the most famous women in the world.
“It wasn’t until she was in the ambulance that a paramedic said to me, ‘Do you know who that is? It’s Princess Diana.’ I was shocked,” he said. “I had seen her in photos before, but I didn’t follow the royal family closely. When I looked into the car again, I recognised her immediately.”
That night has remained etched in his memory ever since.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Gourmelon said. “It’s always there.”
The Others in the Car
When firefighters first approached the vehicle, Diana’s companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were already dead. The only other survivor was her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was conscious but seriously injured and trapped in the front seat.
“The driver was beyond help,” Xavier recalled. “Mr. Fayed was in the back — in very bad shape. He went into cardiac arrest and died shortly after we pulled him out. The bodyguard was conscious but badly hurt, his face covered in blood. He kept asking, ‘Where is she? Where is she?’”
“We told him to stay calm,” Xavier continued. “None of my colleagues spoke English, so I gestured for him to lie still. I reassured him that we were taking care of everyone.”
A Night That Changed the World
After the ambulance left, Gourmelon returned to the fire station and immediately called home.
“My wife was asleep,” he said. “I told her there had been a terrible accident and that Princess Diana had gone into cardiac arrest, but I had managed to get her breathing again.”
The official investigation later concluded that Princess Diana died from severe internal injuries, including a torn blood vessel near her heart that caused massive internal bleeding.
The People’s Princess
Since her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981, Diana had become one of the most beloved figures in the world — admired for her compassion, grace, and dedication to charitable causes. At the time of the crash, she had been divorced for a year and was continuing her humanitarian work.
Her funeral on September 6, 1997, was watched by over 32 million people in the United Kingdom and millions more around the world — a global farewell to the “People’s Princess.”
“She was loved for her beauty, her optimism, and her heart,” one witness said. “Even in her final moments, she wasn’t asking about herself — she was asking what had happened to others.”