Trevor Rees-Jones: who was Princess Diana’s bodyguard in fatal crash, what happened to him, where is he now?

Trevor Rees-Jones hit the headlines a quarter of a decade ago following the fatal crash which killed Princess Diana.

The former bodyguard of the Princess of Wales was the sole survivor of the crash, which saw the former royal, her partner Dodi Fayed and the driver of the vehicle Henri Paul lose their lives.

Despite surviving the crash, Rees Jones’ life was turned upside down by one of the biggest moments in modern British history.

But where is he now?

Here’s everything you need to know about the former bodyguard.

Who is Trevor Rees-Jones?

Trevor Rees-Jones was initally employed as a bodyguard of Mohamed al-Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed.

He was instructed to accompany Dodi and the Princess of Wales on a trip to Paris, France in August 1997.

It was on this trip that the fatal car crash took place.

What happened to Trevor Rees-Jones?

Rees-Jones was in the car when the crash happened in the early morning of 31 August 1997.

Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were sitting in the back seats, while Rees-Jones sat in the front passenger seat, with Henri Paul driving the vehicle. It was reported that none of the passengers were wearing their seatbelts during the journey.

After a decoy car was sent ahead to distract the waiting paparazzi, Paul began driving the real vehicle, eventually reaching the entrance to the Pont de l’Alma underpass.

It was here that Paul lost control of the car, striking a Fiat and crashing head first into a roof-supporting pillar. The car had been driving at 65mph, more than double that of the tunnel’s speed limit.

Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul were all pronounced dead as a result of the crash.

Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of the crash, however he was left with a serious head injury.

He broke every bone in his face, and suffered brain and chest trauma.

Rees-Jones is still unable to recall parts of the crash as a result of his serious head injury.

He underwent facial reconstuction surgery, in which doctors used 150 pieces of titanium to reconstruct his face based on old pictures.

Following the crash, Rees-Jones left the employment of al-Fayed, after claiming that he put intense pressure on him to recall events.

Where is Trevor Rees-Jones now?

Following the crash, Rees-Jones released a book titled ‘The Bodyguard’s Story: Diana, the Crash, and the Sole Survivor’, which was published in 2000.

Although he is unable to recall any memory from the time of the crash, Rees-Jones wrote the book in collaboration with a ghostwriter, as well as sourcing stories from friends and families.

The former bodyguard is said to have written the book after claims from his former employer al-Fayed that he did not do his job properly at the time, as well as rumours and stories swirling about the crash.

He married his current wife, Ann Scott, in 2003.

As of 2021, Rees-Jones is said to be working as global head of security for pharmasutical company AstraZeneca.