The Night Diana Died

As her sons unveiled a statue on what would have been her 60th birthday, new details emerged about the fateful night the princess died in a Paris tunnel. People who were there share their memories of the tragedy

- Nici De Wet

It was the place she’d come to in moments of quiet contemplation. Surrounded by lush greenery and her favourite flowers, Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden was where Princess Diana found solace, particularly during the last tumultuous years of her life following her divorce.

And now her effigy looms large in her beloved garden – a reminder to all of her lasting legacy as not only a humani­ tarian, but as a devoted mother, fashion icon and all­round royal trailblazer who wasn’t afraid to break the rules if it was something she believed in.

As her troubled sons, Prince William (39) and Prince Harry (36), set aside their personal grievances to unveil their mother’s new statue on 1 July, on what would have been her 60th birthday, it was another reminder that although Diana has been dead for nearly 24 years, she will never be forgotten.

This much was clear when, in the days leading up to the unveiling, several key people came forward with heartrending testimony about the day Diana died and the immediate aftermath of a tragedy that stunned the world and still has far­ reaching ramifications in the monarchy.

It was a day etched into the memory of many of her fans – and those who saw her in her final moments.

THE FRENCH FIRE CHIEF

Sergeant Xavier Gourmelon was one of the first people on the scene after the Mercedes carrying the People’s Princess careered out of control in Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel in the early hours of 31 August 1997.

When he reached the crumpled wreck of the black sedan, he saw a woman bent over in the back seat.