What Happened To The Bodyguard Who Survived The Fatal Princess Diana Car Crash?

Princess Diana was a total icon, and Trevor Rees-Jones knew it. Before accepting a job as a bodyguard for the late billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed, Rees-Jones had never imagined that he would rub shoulders with the late princess of Wales. Nevertheless, in 1997, he found himself providing security for Al Fayed's son, Dodi Al Fayed, and Diana. This experience gave the bodyguard insight into the untold truth of Princess Diana. Rees-Jones later told The Guardian that, even behind closed doors, the princess was just a pleasant person to be around. "She was the sort of lady I'd be willing to take down the pub, and that's as big a compliment as I can say," he shared.

On the night of August 31, 1997, Diana got into a car with Rees-Jones, Dodi Al Fayed, and the driver, Henri Paul. What was supposed to be a simple drive through Paris quickly turned into a tragedy when the car crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Only Rees-Jones survived the ordeal. Although amnesia would prevent Rees-Jones from remembering the tragic details of Princess Diana's death, the impact of the accident followed him for decades. As an anonymous source close to the bodyguard told The Sun in 2022, "The enormity of what happened that night is still with him and the scars are visible." Ultimately, Rees-Jones has had to find a way to live with what happened. The royal family was never the same after Princess Diana's death — and neither was Rees-Jones.

Trevor Rees-Jones survived the car wreck that ended Princess Diana's life, but he walked away from the ordeal with scars — both emotional and physical. Immediately following the accident, paramedics rushed Rees-Jones to the hospital, where he underwent an entire facial reconstruction surgery to help save his life. During the 11-hour operation, Rees-Jones' surgeon, Dr. Luc Chikhani, did everything he could to keep the patient alive. In an ITV interview the BBC later cited, Chikhani recalled, "I have never seen so many fractures on a man who was still alive ... There was hope, he was not dead, but the face was completely smashed with many different fractures."

The surgeon did his best to ensure that Rees-Jones looked somewhat like his former self. However, ultimately, the procedure was more about keeping Rees-Jones alive than about cosmetics. In the previously mentioned interview, Chikhani admitted, "I have tried my best to make him look as he did before but I am not God — only God can rebuild him as he was before the accident." As a result, Rees-Jones has spent decades living with a fully reconstructed face — one that looks quite different from his pre-accident countenance. While this major change may not have always been easy for Rees-Jones to come to terms with, it has also given him the opportunity to move forward as the sole survivor of that fatal accident.

As the only person who survived the tragic accident that took Princess Diana's life, Trevor Rees-Jones occupies a unique position in history. He is essentially the only person in the world who could potentially recall what Diana's final moments were like. He could also finally put to rest many of the conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana's death. Over the years, journalists and investigators alike have turned to Rees-Jones in search of answers. However, the former bodyguard has almost no memory of the night of the accident — contributing to our murky understanding of Diana's tragic passing. 

As Rees-Jones revealed on 60 Minutes (via CBS News), he couldn't even remember whether he was wearing a seat belt before the accident. "I don't know. I really don't remember. I don't remember anything about the journey itself," he shared. These blanks in Rees-Jones' memory eventually caused issues with his employer, Mohamed Al Fayed, who was desperate to understand more about the accident. Al Fayed — the father of Diana's then-boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed — believed that the car wreck had been planned by the royal family to prevent Diana and Dodi from getting married. In a 2008 court appearance, Rees-Jones said that Al Fayed's constant questioning weighed on him. "I felt the pressure to remember what had occurred," he said (via The Guardian). These days, it's understood that Rees-Jones still cannot recall the accident or its lead-up.

Trevor Rees-Jones was lucky to walk away from that fatal car crash in Paris, but he continues to carry a lot of survivor's guilt along with him. Shortly after the accident, Rees-Jones told the Mirror (via Deseret News) that this feeling was normal in a certain sense. "I'm sure that anyone who survives an accident where people have died feels a certain sense of guilt," he admitted. That said, Rees-Jones went on to say that he felt especially guilty for having survived the crash — due to Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed's respective importance on the international stage. "It doesn't seem right that I should be the only one who lived," he confessed.

As time went on, Rees-Jones did his best to work through these feelings — although he could not prevent them from surging on occasion. Sometimes, the negativity would seep into his mind when he was least expecting it. There were times when Rees-Jones would dream of Al Fayed and Diana. "If you like, it's 'survivor's guilt,'" he told The Guardian in 2000. To a certain extent, he continued to feel responsible for the accident, telling the publication that Diana "died on my shift." Despite these concerns, Rees-Jones has tried to convince himself that he was only a human being doing the best that he possibly could. Given the circumstances, Rees-Jones said, "I did as much as I could do in that situation."

Trevor Rees-Jones may have undergone an extremely traumatic accident while working as a bodyguard, but that was not enough to convince him to switch careers for good. Rather than hanging up the towel and trying out a new profession, Rees-Jones stayed in the security game. At first, he continued to work for Dodi Al Fayed's father, Mohammed Al Fayed. However, when tensions surrounding Rees-Jones' memory loss reached an unbearable peak, the bodyguard got a new gig working on the United Nations security team. From there, Rees-Jones decided to go to Iraq, where he was employed by Halliburton, to keep facilities safe during the Iraq War. Reports indicate that this international experience helped propel Rees-Jones' security career to new heights.

Although Rees-Jones found his time abroad to be stimulating, he eventually decided to move back to the United Kingdom. He has kept busy working as AstraZeneca's head of security, even as he has tried to keep a low profile. In 2022, an anonymous source told The Sun, "His life is quiet and uneventful now. He certainly doesn't court publicity or speak much about it. He's tried to move on and get on with his life." According to Rees-Jones' LinkedIn profile, part of moving on has also been increasing his studies. In 2017, the security specialist earned a master's in business administration from Leeds Beckett University, displaying his continued interest in moving his career forward over time. 

As Trevor Rees-Jones tried to move forward from that tragic Paris car accident, he also experimented with other types of career opportunities. Back in 2000, he teamed up with writer Moira Johnston to publish "The Bodyguard's Story," a memoir about his own last memories with Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed. Although Rees-Jones was not destined to become an author, the experience allowed him to explore the possibility of engaging with the media on his own terms. The book sold fantastically well and opened the door for Rees-Jones to do some pretty major interviews. In the end, though, he chose against pursuing the spotlight, focusing instead on the job he was trained to do.

Interestingly, though, Rees-Jones' brush with fame allowed him to raise enough money to purchase a home. He closed on a two-bedroom house in Oswestry shortly after signing his book deal. This investment not only allowed the bodyguard to improve his financial situation but also to connect with his family. Rees-Jones' parents apparently lived close to his home, expanding his local support system.

These days, it has been reported that Rees-Jones remains in Oswestry — however, he has apparently moved into more luxurious digs. According to the Daily Mail, the bodyguard purchased a detached house for £500,000 in 2018. While Rees-Jones no longer resides in that same two-bedroom house, it is clear that his short brush with fame helped him achieve financial stability. 

Fame has ultimately been a mixed bag for Princess Diana's former bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones. While the tabloids were busy charting extensive timelines of Princess Diana's complicated dating history, Rees-Jones was undergoing dramatic romantic turbulence of his own. Just two years before the car crash, the bodyguard had married Sue Jones, a woman he had known since high school. At the time that he said "I do," Rees-Jones trusted Jones implicitly. However, when she decided to go behind his back to sell their wedding video to the American media, the bodyguard was left heartbroken. "It was a big shock to me then. It's such a personal thing. So, yeh, that was quite hurtful," he told The Guardian. Rees-Jones and Jones divorced in 1998.

Although that initial love story simply ended in heartache, things were not over for Trevor Rees-Jones. He did not give up on love, and in 2003, he got married to a schoolteacher by the name of Ann Scott. According to Hello!, Rees-Jones' legal team announced, "The wedding was a small, private occasion for family and friends." As for the marriage itself, it has lasted for years. As The Sun reported in 2022, the pair has remained together — and raised two children to boot! The couple has also been known to own at least one dog. As of this writing, their home boasts a huge yard, providing lots of space for kids and pets.