Firefighter Xavier Gourmelon has recalled the last conversation of Princess Diana following her car crash on August 31st, 1997 in Paris. In an interview, he said he found a blonde woman at the back seat of the car when he rushed as a part of the rescue team at the spot of the accident.
At that time, he said, he was unaware that the blonde woman was a member of Britain’s royal family. In an interview with The Sun, Xavier Gourmelon said that he had not believed that Princess Diana was in any danger since she had been conscious with her eyes wide open.
He said she was immediately given oxygen and asked to stay calm. Xavier Gourmelon said Princess Diana had suffered no heavy injury in the accident as there was no blood on her. She, however, had a slight injury in her right shoulder that was not life-threatening, according to firefighter Xavier.
princess diana breaking royal protocol for her son william, to participate in mother's day school race, 1989. pic.twitter.com/5vHOc26ckd
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“I thought she would live,” says the first responder
“My God, what’s happened?” Diana had asked the firefighter. Xavier said matter worsened when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
“I massaged her heart, and a few seconds later she started breathing again. It was a relief of course because, as a first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done.”
Read more: Prince William, Harry join hands to honour Princess Diana
“To be honest 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 said further.
“I know now that there were serious internal injuries, but the whole episode is still very much in my mind. And the memory of that night will stay with me forever.”
“I had no idea then that it was Princess Diana. It was only when she had been put into the ambulance that one of the paramedics told me it was her,” he said.
Soon after the accident, Princess Diana was rushed to the Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital for surgery but she could not survive.
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Several reports regarding the life and legacy of Princess Diana are making rounds on the occasion of her 23rd death anniversary.
Princess Diana had Hollywood prospects?
The reports revealed a claim that Princess Diana wanted to work in Hollywood after leaving behind the royal life. She wanted to work for the silver screen and make her mark in the showbiz industry.
The news was first reported in 2007 by a royal expert, Howard Hodgson in his biography of Prince Charles — “The man who will be King.”
“She was hopeful that Tony Blair would find an ambassadorial role for her that would surely keep her face on the front pages for years to come.”
Read more: Revealed: Princess Diana forgot Prince Charles’s name during their wedding
“And if he didn’t, she had other ideas of self-publicity that could act as plan B.”
Hodgson added, “She had been in negotiation for nearly a year with American screen actor Kevin Costner who wanted her to play herself in a sequel to The Bodyguard.
“She had accepted 30 pages of script written especially for her, and had even dined with the studio bosses at Warner Brothers.”
“…Given her addiction to celebrity, she must have been seriously tempted to take the film role,” the biography added.
Princess Diana lost her life in a tragic car accident on 31st August 1997 in Paris.
At the time of her untimely demise, her sons, William and Harry were 15 and 12 respectively. It has been announced that a new statue of Diana statue will be erected in the White Garden at Kensington Palace next year, on July 1st. It will be in the commemoration of the 60th birthday of the late Princess of Wales.
GVS News Desk