DIANA-CRASH BODYGUARD HAD FACE REBUILT USING OLD PHOTOS
AWELSH bodyguard was the only survivor of the horrific crash that killed Princess Diana. Trevor Rees-Jones was in the front passenger seat of the black Mercedes on August 31, 1997, when it crashed at the entrance of the Pont de l’Ama tunnel, near Malar fire station in Paris.
Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were all killed.
Mr Rees was employed by Dodi Fayed’s father Mohamed al-Fayed as a Harrods security worker.
Initially he had no recollection of what happened, but later regained some memories.
While the ex-paratrooper survived the harrowing crash which sent shockwaves throughout the world, he was left with devastating facial injuries, including a smashed jaw, nose and eyes.
A surgeon, speaking in 2000 about how he reconstructed Trevor’s face, said he had never seen so many fractures on a man who was still alive.
Luc Chikhani appeared on ITV’s Tonight with Trevor McDonald describing the intricate surgical work he performed.
He said: “There was hope, he was not dead, but the face was completely smashed, with many different fractures – it was amazingly crushed.
“I have never seen so many fractures on a man who was still alive.
“The face was completely flat. We had to completely rebuild it. The eyes were apart, the nose was smashed and the jaw was broken.”
The operation took 11 hours in total, where 30 metal screws were inserted into Trevor’s face.
Although a largely private figure, he did publish a book, The Bodyguard’s Story, in 2000, in which he rejected conspiracy theories about the accident.
Mr Rees later acrimoniously split from his former employer Mr alFayed. He changed his surname back to Rees, after divorcing his first wife.
He then married teacher Ann Scott in 2002.
In 2004, it was reported he was working as a security expert in Iraq.