The Bodyguard's Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor - Softcover

Rees-Jones, Trevor; Johnston, Moira

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075153126X ISBN 13: 9780751531268

Publisher: Sphere, 2001

Synopsis

Trevor Rees-Jones was a young man who liked his job. He served on the security team of Mohammed Al Fayed.

As bodyguard for his son Dodi, he was with him and his companion, Princess Diana, for their summer romance - a romance played out to the tune of the paparazzi; and in the fatal car crash which tragically killed them both.

Despite horrific injury and traumatic surgery, Trevor survived - only to have to fight on as his boss's grief at the loss of his son turned into a desperate hunt for culprit and conspiracy. By the end of this profoundly gripping and moving story Trevor moves on, emerging from the centre of the storm, his honour and dignity intact.

About this title

Review:

"Telling my story in a book is the last thing I ever dreamed I'd be doing", writes Trevor Rees-Jones in the introduction to his autobiography, The Bodyguard's Story. Rees-Jones's life changed irrevocably on the night of Saturday, August 31, 1997, when the car he was travelling in crashed in a certain Alma tunnel in Paris. The car contained no ordinary passengers--Rees-Jones was the bodyguard of Dodi Fayed, companion of Diana, Princess of Wales. Dodi, Diana and driver Henri Paul were all killed, leaving Rees-Jones as the sole survivor, fighting for his life having suffered appalling injuries. His face was crushed beyond recognition and had to be extensively reconstructed under expert surgical care. Rees-Jones left hospital after a month, intending to continue with his life as far as possible and his work for his employer, Dodi's father, Mohamed Al Fayed. Yet his situation became increasingly fraught in the wake of the death of the Princess of Wales, one of the late 20th-century's most potent icons. As the grief-stricken Fayed tried desperately to find someone to blame for the death of his son, it was only a matter of time before Rees-Jones became embroiled in the web of recriminations and accusations. The Bodyguard's Story tells the story of the summer leading up to the fatal accident; as Rees-Jones, speaking openly for the first time, describes a world of extreme wealth, paparazzi-dodging and the increasingly volatile situation between the press, Dodi, Diana and their minders as the summer dragged on. Realising his life could never return to what it had been, Rees-Jones aims to set the record straight with his first-hand account. "They'd died on my shift, and I'll live with that for the rest of my life. But I look in the mirror every day and know that I did the best I could." --Kate Weaver

Review:

Wholly remarkable . . . Astonishing . . . This brave and inspiring book deserves to be blessed a thousandfold (Craig Brown, MAIL on Sunday)

He is a brave man and his story is gripping. (Sunday TELEGRAPH)

Telling my story in a book is the last thing I ever dreamed I'd be doing", writes Trevor Rees-Jones in the introduction to his autobiography, The Bodyguard's Story. Rees-Jones's life changed irrevocably on the night of Saturday, August 31, 1997, when the car he was travelling in crashed in a certain Alma tunnel in Paris. The car contained no ordinary passengers--Rees-Jones was the bodyguard of Dodi Fayed, companion of Diana, Princess of Wales. Dodi, Diana and driver Henri Paul were all killed, leaving Rees-Jones as the sole survivor, fighting for his life having suffered appalling injuries. His face was crushed beyond recognition and had to be extensively reconstructed under expert surgical care. Rees-Jones left hospital after a month, intending to continue with his life as far as possible and his work for his employer, Dodi's father, Mohamed Al Fayed. Yet his situation became increasingly fraught in the wake of the death of the Princess of Wales, one of the late 20th-century's most potent icons. As the grief-stricken Fayed tried desperately to find someone to blame for the death of his son, it was only a matter of time before Rees-Jones became embroiled in the web of recriminations and accusations. The Bodyguard's Story tells the story of the summer leading up to the fatal accident; as Rees-Jones, speaking openly for the first time, describes a world of extreme wealth, paparazzi-dodging and the increasingly volatile situation between the press, Dodi, Diana and their minders as the summer dragged on. Realising his life could never return to what it had been, Rees-Jones aims to set the record straight with his first-hand account. "They'd died on my shift, and I'll live with that for the rest of my life. But I look in the mirror every day and know that I did the best I could. (Kate Weaver, AMAZON.CO.UK)

THE BODYGUARD'S STORY is that rare thing: a thriller told by an unexcitable man. After all those feverish rival accounts of Diana and her motives - the 'I Loved Her Better Than You (school of memoir - this book is like drinking a long cold glass of water . . . Trevor Rees-Jones's straightforwardness is a virtue that looks all the more impressive in such a crooked story')

About this edition

• Publisher: Sphere
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 075153126X
• ISBN 13: 9780751531268
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448