When a Doctor Present on Scene Opened Up About Princess Diana's Final Moments

Dr. Frederic Mailliez will never forget what he saw that night in Paris. It was August 31, 1997. He was driving through the fateful tunnel when he came across a devastating car crash. A Mercedes lay wrecked. Inside, a woman was fighting for her life. At first, he didn't recognize her as Princess Diana. But at that moment, it didn't matter who she was. He was a doctor, and he had to help, as per The Denver Post. Going back to that night, the doctor recalled, "I walked toward the wreckage. I opened the door, and I looked inside." 

Mailliez acted quickly. He called emergency services and used a breathing bag to help the fading woman. He stated, "Four people, two of them were apparently dead, no reaction, no breathing, and the two others, on the right side, were living but in severe condition. The front passenger was screaming, he was breathing. He could wait a few minutes. And the female passenger, the young lady, was on her knees on the floor of the Mercedes, she had her head down. She had difficulty [to] breathe. She needed quick assistance." He added, "Thanks to my respiratory bag (...) she regained a little bit more energy, but she couldn’t say anything."

Around him, chaos reigned, but he stayed focused. His only aim is to save a life. It was only later, along with the world, that Mailliez learned of the woman's real identity: it was Princess Diana who died that night in the crash alongside companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Now, even 25 years later, the doctor vividly recalls her final moments. He said, "I realize my name will always be attached to this tragic night. I feel a little bit responsible for her last moments," as per HuffPost.

The doctor further explained, "I was in the car in the rear seat assisting. I realized she was very beautiful, but my attention was so focused on what I had to do to save her life, I didn’t have time to think, who was this woman." He then added, "It was a massive shock to learn that she was Princess Diana and that she died." 

To their credit, Mailliez said the plethora of paparazzi did not prevent him from trying to save the princess that night, and he also acknowledged the firefighters who finally freed Diana from the wreckage. Although she later passed, away the doctor said he did all he could. In the years since, he's replayed each choice, questioning if he could have done more. But experts reassured him that given the circumstances, he'd acted correctly. Today, the site stands memorialized, drawing Diana devotees from across the globe. An icon of empowerment and style, her legacy still inspires.