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

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Much as I personally dislike dwelling on the fallibility and misfortune of others; I did find this book difficult to put down. When I finally did, I felt an overwhelming surge of relief at my own, very ordinary, life lived far, far away from the hungry media machine. Trevor Rees-Jones is no writer. But then, he doesn't pretend to be. He's just a "bloke," better at rugby than at writing. His claim to fame: being in the fateful car with Diana and Dodi. Jones wrote the book to 1) make money and 2) counter Mohammad Al Fayed's claims of Trevor's culpability in the accident. An additional awkwardness of this book is that it is written in the third person; which methodically develops a slight sense of surreal unreality. My sympathies lay primarily with Rees-Jones’ parents; their very real anguish caused by no fault of their own; and HRH The Prince Charles; for his arranged marriage to a daughter from a broken home. The odd error crops up; the late Diana, Princess of Wales was NOT given the pre-defined ceremonial of a “full royal funeral” (p.147), because at the time of her death she was a non-royal divorced woman. Houston shared that much like her character Rachel in "The Bodyguard," Houston went on stage despite the threats. She didn't cancel her show and performed for the fans who had come out to see her. Houston admitted it wasn't just for her fans, she didn't want to let one dangerous fanatic take what she loved to do away from her. Trevor Rees-Jones was clinging to life in the same hospital, only a few doors down from Diana's own room. Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed were already gone...just hours before in that horrific crash under Paris's Place de l'Alma tunnel.

Wholly remarkable . . . Astonishing . . . This brave and inspiring book deserves to be blessed a thousandfold ( Craig Brown, MAIL on Sunday) In her film debut, Whitney Houston plays Rachel Marron, a pop music superstar. It seems that one of her fans is stalking her and has threatened to kill her, so Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), a professional bodyguard and former Secret Service agent, is hired to protect her.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 Also fascinating was the weird control that Mohammad Fayed struggled to hold over his empire and his people. The Bodyguard's Story is the story of the fatal crash that claimed the life of Princess Diana, the Ritz driver, Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed, told by the only survivor of the crash, Trevor Rees-Jones. It not well written. The author and co-author wrote the story in third person, with Trevor occasionally quoting himself. However, the subject matter was so intriguing that it hardly mattered. I was fascinated not only by the details of Diana's friendship/romance with Dodi, but with Trevor's recovery process. Every bone in Trevor's face was smashed; his wrist was broken, and he had no memory of the crash. Memory has always been a fascinating thing for me, so naturally I was quite drawn to that.

Of the accident itself, Trevor places blame on Dodi's last-minute decision to install Henri Paul in the driver's seat. Paul was drunk, and although Trevor saw Paul drinking a yellow liquid in the Ritz bar earlier, he claims that he assumed the drink was nothing more than fruit juice. Why didn't Trevor speak up and insist on a licensed chauffeur for the Mercedes that night? Because "the boss" -- Fayed and Dodi -- had spoken and chosen Paul. Trevor has been frustrated in earlier attempts to get additional bodyguards sent to The Jonikal, Fayed's yacht that hosted Diana and Dodi's final trip together, and was rather fed up by the final evening, when Dodi disregarded his concerns about leaving the Ritz. Who wins? Only two parties, as far as I could see: firstly the surgeon Dr Luc Chikhani, who spotted and achieved a truly remarkable and well-deserved career-assuring success in reconstructing Rees-Jones’ face; and secondly, albeit through a desperately tragic and horrific series of events, TRH The Princes William and Harry, who lost a woman whom they alone knew as a wonderful mother; but who have both since gained stability, love and bright futures which they might not have otherwise known. The hitman breaks into the house, Nikki tries to stop him, and he shoots and kills her before escaping. Frank ensures that his father, who is armed with a large caliber revolver, has secured the rest of the group on the second floor, then pursues the killer into the woods. Frank shoots at the hitman, but the hitman escapes through the dark woods. Frank learns the next day, from his Secret Service colleagues, that they have apprehended the stalker and were interviewing him when Nikki was shot. As soon as Rachel's limousine arrives on the red carpet, the tension is palpable, and her team is on edge. The crowd eagerly awaits her outside, and the constant buzzing action behind the scenes depicts how difficult it will be for Frank and Tony (Mike Starr) to protect Rachel when they can't be at her side every moment during the Oscar ceremony. 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 theTHE 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') For royal watchers, this is a necessary addition to the collection. It's weakness - that it is not well written - might also be a strength, because one really gets the sense of who Trevor Rees Jones is. Instead of a thinker, he's a doer. Loyal to a fault, gentle, well-mannered, but not given to self reflection.