Princess Diana's Bodyguard's Heart-Wrenching 11-Word Message to Late Royal After Her Tragic Death
Trevor Rees-Jones survived the car crash that killed Princess Diana.
Aug. 28 2026, Published 3:11 p.m. ET
Princess Diana's former bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, made a final heartbreaking confession at her grave, according to an insider.
Nearly 30 years after the beloved royal's tragic death in a high-speed car crash, RadarOnline.com revisits Rees-Jones' true feelings about her passing.
'It Was Taken Out of My Hands'
Princess Diana died at age 36.
Back in 2000, Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, reportedly invited Rees-Jones to go to the island of Althorp for a private viewing of her grave.
During his visit, the security specialist whispered the 11 words, "I'm sorry. I wish it had been me instead of you" in a final goodbye to the woman he had been tasked with protecting.
As Spencer stood by, Rees-Jones also reportedly told him, "I'm sorry, but it wasn't my fault. It was taken out of my hands."
Inside Princess Diana's Fatal Car Crash
Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed died on August 31, 1997.
On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died after her driver, Henry Paul, lost control of their vehicle in the Pont de I'Alma tunnel in Paris. The car had been moving at high speeds to try to outrun paparazzi.
Tests later confirmed that Paul had also been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
Diana, her partner Dodi Fayed, and the driver were all killed in the tragic accident. Rees-Jones survived but suffered major injuries, including brain trauma, a broken wrist, a broken thigh, and facial fractures.
'His Face Was Completely Flat'
Trevor Rees-Jones needed extensive surgery after the accident.
Aside from other life-saving care, he also underwent a grueling 10-hour facial reconstruction surgery.
"The face was completely smashed with many different fractures – it was amazingly crushed," Dr Luc Chikhani said in a televised interview that aired in 2000. "The face was completely flat. We had to completely rebuild it. The eyes were apart, the nose was smashed and the jaw was broken."
Due to his injuries, Rees-Jones also said he lost four minutes of memory of the events leading up to the accident, leaving him unable to answer some key questions that have haunted friends, family and the general public for years.
Princess Diana's Brother Plans New Book
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The 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's death will be in 2027.
As Radar previously reported, Diana's brother is planning to "set the record straight" on his sister's life in a new book that will hit shelves some time before the 30th anniversary of his sister's passing in August 2027.
"With the 30th anniversary of Diana's tragic death on the skyline, I've been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister," Spencer said. "This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time."
"The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother's perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral," he continued. "As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way."
