Mailliez, unaware of her identity, recalled that Diana was seated on the floor in the back and appeared to be struggling to breathe. “She was a most beautiful woman,” he noted, adding that while her face wasn’t visibly injured, he suspected internal trauma. He called emergency services and tried to reassure her in English, telling her everything would be alright.

Police and Paramedics Arrive

French officer Sébastien Dorzee arrived shortly after. He described blood coming from Diana’s mouth and nose and a deep wound on her forehead. “She was rubbing her stomach. She must have been in pain,” he said. He recalled that she looked toward the driver, became agitated, and then closed her eyes.

Photos taken by emergency responders at the scene were reportedly destroyed by authorities, according to the 2012 investigation led by Lord Stevens.

Her Final Words

Paramedic Xavier Gourmelon, who stayed with Diana in the wrecked car, recalled that she spoke in English: “Oh my God, what’s happened?” He held her hand and tried to calm her before other responders took over. Initially, her injuries seemed minor, aside from a shoulder wound.

However, when Diana was moved onto a stretcher, she went into cardiac arrest. Her heart was restarted at the scene, but her blood pressure later dropped inside the ambulance. Though she was taken to the hospital alive, she went into full cardiac arrest again.

Early medical reports noted a concussion, a broken arm, and cuts to her thighs. Later, doctors confirmed she had suffered massive internal chest injuries. Despite efforts to stop the bleeding through surgery and repeated attempts to restart her heart, she was pronounced dead at 4:00 am.

A Final Blessing

Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet, a Catholic priest, was asked to stay with Diana’s body until an Anglican priest could be found. He remembered seeing her for the first time in the hospital. “She was completely intact, no mark or stain, or make-up. Completely natural. And she was a really beautiful woman,” he said. “It seemed as if you could almost talk to her.”

Her sudden death left a lasting impact on the world, and the accounts of those who were with her during her final moments offer a somber glimpse into the tragic night that claimed the life of the People’s Princess.