Trevor Rees Jones (Diana Crash Survivor)

[lashinka2002]

Here's another old article from extra tv



Thursday September 3rd, 1998

Al-Fayed Bodyguard Speaks Out!

The world has come to believe that Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were soulmates, headed for marriage and a life of happiness. But now, a former bodyguard of the Fayed family says that impression is wrong.

The world has seen the images of Diana and Dodi hours before the tragic crash, as they left for France after a vacation in Italy. The couple arriving at Paris's Le Bourget airport, Dodi consulting with security aide Henri Paul, and Diana ..radiant...smiling as she got into the waiting car, headed to the Windsor, Villa...which belonged to Dodi's father, Mohammed Al-Fayed.

Now, EXTRA has uncovered a stunning development. The Princess' car ride was sheer chaos, and her happy thoughts had turned into terror. "She was crying..." Ben Murrell is a former security guard for the Al-Fayed's, who was assigned to the Windsor villa.

In his first television interview, he reveals exclusively to EXTRA the inside story of a frenzied atmosphere during their first journey through the streets of Paris that day. "The chauffeur of the day relayed to me that Diana had been very upset with the speed of the car from the Le Bourget, and at times had been shouting out to slow down, and that Dodi had been actually trying to speed up to try and get away from the photographers and to get to the villa as fast as possible."

Was it his feeling that Diana was upset by all of this? "Yes, it was. I mean, it was his first drive with the Princess and it was upsetting for him to hear her screaming in the back of the car." And was Diana upset when she arrived at the villa? "She was quite flustered and quite upset."

And that's not all. Murrell also says he was the only other person present as Dodi and Diana toured the palatial quarters, and he insists that they didn't act like a couple in love. "It was quite stilted...they seemed more of two acquaintances, perhaps out on a Saturday looking at a museum." So there was no handholding? "No. Certainly not."

The reason Murrell's claim is so startling -- and significant -- is that after Dodi and Diana died, the international media made a huge deal about that visit. Several of Al-Fayed's employees insisted Diana and Dodi had spent nearly three hours at the former home of the duke and duchess of Windsor, checking it out from top to bottom, even looking in the refrigerator and at the boiler. The clear implication being that the two were planning to get married, and were considering the estate as their future home.

It was all a big lie, says Murrell. A lie orchestrated by his boss, Mohammed Al-Fayed. "She was trying to make an effort to have some interest, but it was an empty villa so they spent less than half an hour there looking at some pictures on the walls and she just seemed that she wanted to get away."

The British tabloid "The Sun" published stills taken from a security camera mounted outside the Windsor home. The first showing them arriving...and the last showing them leaving a mere twenty-eight minutes later! And what did Diana say as she left? "She said thank you for your help. It was quite a brief exit."

Murrell, a former marine, tells EXTRA he finally decided to resign and come forward because he was sick of all the lies Al-Fayed has perpetuated. Including the claim that the couple was killed in a conspiracy. He also discloses some frightening new information about Henri Paul, the drunk driver responsible for his own -- as well as Dodi and Diana's -- deaths.

Henri Paul showed up at the mansion just a few minutes after the couple. "He stopped the Range Rover abruptly, wound the window down and almost leaned out halfway through the window...grabbed my shoulder and shook me. He was quite excitable... in that close proximity I could smell alcohol and a mixture of foot in his breath, somebody that had a good sort of lunch with some drink." At the time Murrell says he didn't think much of it, but the incident took on great significance after the crash. As news of the terrible tragedy leaked out, Al-Fayed's campaign immediately went into full gear -- especially after it became apparent that bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones would survive. Murrell says he was ordered by his employer to rush to his good friend's bedside. "My job then was basically to keep Trevor from talking to the police and anybody involved in the investigation before Mohammed had a chance to speak with him."

 

[maryshawn]

Wow! This is fascinating.....and brave of this man to come forward as Mr. Fayed can be very nasty when provoked. I'd heard several versions of the car ride from the airport and the tour of the house, but the prevailing one was that Diana and Dodi were lovebirds who spent--as you say--hours poking through the house and looking in cupboards and the refrigerator. So this pretty much shoots holes in that story as this man seems credible. From all I've heard, Mr. Fayed has many reasons for trying to promote his conspiracy theory--not the least of which is his culpability as Henri Paul worked for him so theoretically Mr. Fayed bears some of the fault. I don't doubt he grieves the loss of his son and that is part of the reason he continues to promote various theories of conspiracies to explain the car accident. But even Mr. Fayed said he told Dodi to remain at the Ritz, when Dodi called to apprise him of the situation, and Dodi and Diana--for whatever reason--decided to go back out into the fray. Mr. Fayed clearly feared their might be a risk because of the frenzy outside the hotel; Dodi said they would stay then changed his mind. I rather think he enjoyed the excitement, at times. Certainly, nothing garnered him as much attention as being seen with Diana.

 

[Elspeth]

Apparently Mohamed al Fayed also owned Etoile Limousines (at least according to one of the books I read), which means that he's also ultimately responsible if the car wasn't functioning properly. You can see why he'd be wanting to deflect blame wherever he could make it stick.

 

[maryshawn]

I looked it up and you are right! See, here is the problem with all things Diana; everyone has an agenda! They spin her life; they spin her death to serve whatever befits their personal "interest" in the matter. The people closest to the "truth," aren't really that interested in figuring it out. Fayed (a) could be held culpable for a car not in good working order and an employee who was drunk behind the wheel, (b) wants his son's "living legacy" to be that he was the final love of Diana's life--perpetually hitched to Diana's star, as it were, and (c) it keeps his name in the news and the man loves his PR. The Spencers and the Windsors aren't any more interested in the truth because they're so scared of all the issues which could be raised and secrets which could see the light of day. So, at the end of the day, there will always be questions about Diana's death because it suits the needs of others to keep things murky.

Apparently Mohamed al Fayed also owned Etoile Limousines (at least according to one of the books I read), which means that he's also ultimately responsible if the car wasn't functioning properly. You can see why he'd be wanting to deflect blame wherever he could make it stick.

 

[Queen Mary I]

I feel bad for Trevor Rees Jones... I am sure he feels very guilty about surviving and not being able to tell that Henri Paul was drunk. That is the one question that bothers me--how could they not tell he was inebriated?

Maybe he wasn't 'drunk' as we know it. When I was in the Army I remember visiting Homestead Airforce Base one year and some American sailors told me their British counterparts (who were there on a visit) drank BUCKETS around them and they still walked away like it was nothing. What I mean to say is perhaps Henri Paul was used to a high level of alcohol in his system and could still walk around like he was fine.

I don't think even a seatbelt could have saved Mr. Paul. Wasn't he decapitated? His side of the car looked quite crushed in.

Seat belts may have saved Diana and possibly Dodi too. I am unsure what actually killed him. Being thrown, or being crushed.

I will forever think 'seat belts-if only'.

 

[Queen Mary I]

Here's another old article from extra tv

I don't see how Mr. Murrell or anyone else can tell if a couple they don't really know is in love just on observation per se. My grandparents were not demonstrative people yet I know that they loved each other very much. Diana and Dodi were likely not in love but only they really know. I think it was a summer romance myself. Had they lived both would have probably moved on to the next relationship in due time.

 

[maryshawn]

You're right about seatbelts. I use mine more than ever! If Diana had worn one, she would have basically walked away. Dodi is a different matter I think. I read he died from massive chest injuries resulting in internal hemmoraghing. He was seated right behind Henri Paul and his side of the car was also smashed in very badly. But who knows? Perhaps the trauma would have been survivable had Dodi been wearing his seatbelt.

Maybe he wasn't 'drunk' as we know it. When I was in the Army I remember visiting Homestead Airforce Base one year and some American sailors told me their British counterparts (who were there on a visit) drank BUCKETS around them and they still walked away like it was nothing. What I mean to say is perhaps Henri Paul was used to a high level of alcohol in his system and could still walk around like he was fine.

I don't think even a seatbelt could have saved Mr. Paul. Wasn't he decapitated? His side of the car looked quite crushed in.

Seat belts may have saved Diana and possibly Dodi too. I am unsure what actually killed him. Being thrown, or being crushed.

I will forever think 'seat belts-if only'.

 

[iowabelle]

I don't think even a seatbelt could have saved Mr. Paul. Wasn't he decapitated? His side of the car looked quite crushed in.

The engine was thrust backwards into the passenger compartment, and Henri Paul was basically crushed. Horrible way to die.

 

[Jil]

What is Trevor Rees-Jones doing now?

 

[dakodas]

I feel bad for Trevor Rees Jones. He will forever be remembered as the one who survived. After his recovery, he was invited to Althorp by Earl Spencer to pay his last respects to Diana on her small island and perhaps to confront the emotions he had to face. Mohammed Al-Fayed fired him and blackened his name.

I am sure he feels very guilty about surviving and not being able to tell that Henri Paul was drunk. That is the one question that bothers me--how could they not tell he was inebriated?

There is a great difference between legal intoxication and hanging from the chandelier drunk. Tolerance varies from individual to individual greately as well. Alcohol is a drug to which people build a tolerance. Nevertheless, Paul was VERY drunk. As far as the Prozac is concerned, in many individuals it strengthens the effects of alcohol. For information on this, see the following article:
Prozac, Alcohol and Denial?

From Buddy T,
Your Guide to Alcoholism / Substance Abuse.
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Henri Paul Had Traces of Two Drugs in His Blood

The latest blood test for Henri Paul, driver of the Mercedes in which he, Dodi Fayed, and Princess Diana were killed, shows that he was not only drunk, he was also taking an antidepressant drug and may have stopped taking one prescribed for alcohol abuse.

French prosecutors said Wednesday that Henri Paul had traces of two drugs in his blood along with a high alcohol level. A statement by the prosecutor's office said a blood test to determine the driver's alcohol level revealed the presence of two drugs: fluoxetine and tiapride.
TheCNN report said, "Fluoxetine is the generic name for the popular antidepressant drug Prozac while tiapride is a drug which works to calm the central nervous system. It is used for people with psychiatric disorders or to relieve the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal." As more information is becoming available, we are beginning to get a better picture, although still not in complete focus, of the man they asked to drive Princess Diana away from the Ritz Hotel in Paris on that fateful night It is not a very pretty picture, as it continues to develop.
Let's take a closer look at the blood content of Henri Paul.

This is from the official statement of French prosecutors, reported by Reuters:

• The analysis of a sample of blood taken on September 4, 1997, in the presence of an investigating magistrate yielded a level of pure alcohol of 1.75 grams per thousand grams.
• The analysis of fluid taken from the eyeball yielded a level of 1.73 grams per thousand.
• A search for toxic chemicals in the blood revealed therapeutic levels of a medication whose active ingredient is fluoxetine, and sub-therapeutic levels of a second drug whose active ingredient is tiapride.

Alcohol

The above results are from the third blood alcohol test conducted by authorities after Paul's family disputed the first results and got a French judge to order more tests.

Obviously, this third test confirms the earlier ones: Paul was more than three times over the legal limit in France, and would have been deemed intoxicated in every country in the world.
An article pubished here on the Alcoholism site points out that someone with a BAC of .15 would be 380 times more likely to have an accident than a sober driver.
According to these studies, the likelihood of having an accident doubles with every .02 increase in BAC, so Henri Paul was more than 760 times more likely to have an accident than a non-drinking driver.
Prozac

A previous feature article on this site about alcohol and pain contained a long list of presciption and over-the-counter drugs which were not supposed to be combined with alcohol. Prozac was one of those drugs.

But forgetting about the combination for a moment, let's look at the Prozac alone. According to Internet Mental Health "patients taking Prozac should be cautioned against driving an automobile or performing hazardous tasks until they are reasonably certain that treatment with fluoxetine does not affect them adversely."
But the combination of alcohol with any antidepressant is dangerous. According to Ronald J Diamond, M.D., of the University of Wisconsin Department of Psychiatry and Medical Director, Mental Health Center of Dane County, WI, "all antidepressants potentiate the effect of alcohol, and a few drinks will make a client on these medications more intoxicated than he or she would normally get. In addition, alcohol increases the lethality of antidepressants, and a normally non-lethal overdose may become lethal if combined with alcohol."
But perhaps even more startling is this warning from Dr. Diamond: "Antidepressant medications can trigger a manic episode in some susceptible people. In addition, some schizophrenic clients are reported to get more disorganized or more paranoid when taking antidepressants." At this point, we do not know why Paul was taking Prozac, but generally it is prescribed for depression, panic attacks, and bipolar disorder, the condition formerly known as manic depression. It is also used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
For the rest of the article see
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/diana/a/blpaul01.htm

 

[Elan]

I didn't know that he was 29. He wrote a book called "A bodyguards story"

Bygone thread..

However, it's one hell of a book of their last 10 days at sea, and night in Paris. I hadn't appreciated that Dodi's fame was suddenly 10x's greater than he'd ever known which influenced him to use a more hectic, improvised approach for what, where, and when. It was commonplace for protection to reconnaissance a beach or location well in advance as opposed to working on the fly which made their job excruciating.

Easy to understand why Trevor was ready to confront Dodi. In the meantime he kept pressing Delorm the butler for plans on dinner that evening (Chez Benoit). En route to Benoit they switch back and return, but the ability to enter the Ritz is more difficult. Dodi freezes a split second when his door opens, and the press is on him in a fervor. Diana w high heels, dashes or vaults from the car with skill, but a photographer abuzz with adrenaline hurls through the revolving door to Dodi's chagrin, exchanging words with Kez Wingfield on the 'fiasco'.

Near 10pm, Dodi informs the staff he will be eating in, but the trip to the apartment is ahead of them. He advises bodyguards to now get themselves something to eat. They go for the menu at the bar after '12' hours ..breakfast on Jonikal. A superb Club sandwich is served when....

Henri Paul arrives with cigar in hand making rounds while off duty. He finds Wingfield and Trevor not by a bartender, but where a table is facing out. Asked about his drink, he mentions 'ananas' (pineapple), but a trademark cigar is an effective cloak over the contents. Of the day also.

In that same minute -- Paul addresses the idea of them eating in the bar...as being frowned upon since the manager didn't like it. A shrewd remark in the sense of diverting attention from the drink entirely.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Trevor Rees-Jones book truly shows the chaos of that last day in Paris, and also gives lovely vignettes of Diana's friendliness.

 

[Ish]

Posts discussing Dodi Fayed have been moved to the Diana and Dodi (and Tony Blair) thread. Subsequent posts here will be deleted.

 

[Denville]

Trevor Rees-Jones book truly shows the chaos of that last day in Paris, and also gives lovely vignettes of Diana's friendliness.

I can't remember much of the book which I read some years ago, except that Rhy Jones thought that Diana "could do beter" than Dodi as a boyfriend....

 

[Elan]

A bodyguard, at minimum would be startled upon introduction to Diana. Whereas a high profile actress or model would pass as a low key normal occurrence. Though famous they would present no media blitz and few alarm bells to sound. The yacht scenario was dramatically different with royalty he never imagined meeting, probably admired from afar, and did as much as he could to protect in the Mediterranean and Paris.

Substitute any person in the world, Ari Onassis etc., no matter how respected the gentleman and his yacht, a crew would surely question this new chapter, and how the friendship emerged. So the quote may be accurate.

 

[Mermaid1962]

Ah, Mr. Rhys Jones and I have something in common.

I can't remember much of the book which I read some years ago, except that Rhy Jones thought that Diana "could do beter" than Dodi as a boyfriend....

 

[Pranter]

Is there anyone, other than Dodi's father, who didn't think she could do better? That relationship would of ended fairly soon anyway.


LaRae

 

[Denville]

Is there anyone, other than Dodi's father, who didn't think she could do better? That relationship would of ended fairly soon anyway.


LaRae

I don't know if you can be sure of that. It does seem as if she was getting bored with him, or that she really thought of it as a holiday romance.. but its not 100% certain...

 

[Pranter]

She was already telling Rosa she had no intentions of getting married (rumors going) and IIRC Rosa said something about Diana not being sure about Dodi ..perhaps it was too much etc.

It would of ended within to 6 months if not sooner. Holiday/summer romances are great till real life happens.


LaRae

 

[Osipi]

Not exactly sure if Diana knew or not but eventually she would have found out that in the beginning, Dodi had a fiancee stashed away on a nearby yacht while he was spending time with Diana as per Daddy's request.

Any intelligent woman would then have the red alert radar going off in her head that if a man could abandon a fiance to be with another woman, the same could possibly happen to her in the future and she'd put up the fences to keep him out.

Dodi wasn't exactly the true and faithful type from what I know of him. He lived a pretty wild life and grabbed what he wanted when he wanted it. In fact, I'd almost be tempted to state that he was the exact opposite of Hasnat Khan.

This is why the people that worked security around him were not the strongest characters in the ability to talk sense into the man. It was probably either go with what Dodi ordered and wanted or be out of a job after Dodi complained to Daddy.

 

[Denville]

yes of course ti was "do what Dodi said" or what his father said, since his father was the one footing the bills. I gather MAF was worried about security but still didn't want to have more security men... so the 2 bodyguards were not able to coepe with the frenzy of the media wanting to get pix of Diana..
And Dodi himelf was thoughtless and selfish and not very bright so he added to their labours.

 

[Mermaid1962]

In this sense, it really was "an accident waiting to happen."

 

[Elan]

Not exactly sure if Diana knew or not but eventually she would have found out that in the beginning, Dodi had a fiancee stashed away on a nearby yacht while he was spending time with Diana as per Daddy's request.

Any intelligent woman would then have the red alert radar going off in her head that if a man could abandon a fiance to be with another woman, the same could possibly happen to her in the future and she'd put up the fences to keep him out.

Dodi wasn't exactly the true and faithful type from what I know of him. He lived a pretty wild life and grabbed what he wanted when he wanted it. In fact, I'd almost be tempted to state that he was the exact opposite of Hasnat Khan.

Interesting that when Kelly Fisher went public with her rant, that an offer was made to speak with Diana to brief her on what had taken place. Diana, as it turned out was not especially interested. An unexpected outcome could be his star rising, not falling by the twin romances on two seperate yachts at the same time. Scandalous on the one hand, but women react differently to this. Though clearly some would be furious, and no question Kelly Fisher had every right to be.

As much as she adored Hasnat, the need to keep the relationship anonymous left her in less than a great way. After struggling along for a while, the new friendship offered her an improved emotional state, intrigue, excitement, romance. Diana had a compassionate understanding of psychological issues, which may have been useful and helpful later on.

 

[Denville]

Interesting that after Kelly Fischer had gone public with rant, the story arose of her offering to speak with Diana and brief her on what had taken place, yet Diana was not especially interested. The unexpected result is that his 'star' could have actually risen in the sense of friendship revealing itself to be with a Don Juan fellow, who's having twin romances on two seperate yachts at the same time. Scandalous on the one hand, but women react differently to it. Though clearly some would be furious, and no question Kelly Fischer had every right to be.

As much as she adored Hasnat, the need to keep the relationship anonymous left her in not a very good way. After struggling along for a while, the new relationship offered her an improved emotional state, mystery, excitement, romance. Diana had a compassionate understanding of psychological issues, which may have been useful and helpful later on.

I think that if Diana paid attention ot the Kelly Fisher stuff, (and she was capable fo ignoring things at times) she was indifferent because she didn't care that much about Dodi. If he was a summer romance, and she was getting fed up with him, I think she had no interest in K Fsiher because she intended to end the affair with Dodi fairly soon anyway..

 

[Ish]

Time to move on. This thread is for discussion of Trevor Rees Jones, not Dodi Fayed or Hasnat Kahn.

Further off topic discussion will be deleted without warning.

 

[Elan]

It's pretty severe the way the tragedy continued to pile things on Trevor, from the day he gained some consciousness and recognized the voice of his 'x' of a recently broken up relationship. Barely alive, with the world second guessing everything he did, and what might have been done better, etc. It's been suggested that a Royal protection officer with broader skill set would have saved the day, but the reality was they were employed by a private company and not hired to protect the Windsors.

Ken Wharfe may be right that the accident was easily preventable. Calling (without consulting others) the National Gendarmerie for assistance and support seems like a brilliant suggestion since - if police lead the way as escorts out front of the Mercedes, without pressing for speed or urgency, a different outcome is expected.