The Bodyguard's Tale

One of the last people to learn that Princess Diana was dead was bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. The only survivor of the car crash that killed her, Rees-Jones was fighting for his own life in the same hospital where doctors tried to save the fatally injured princess.

Now two and a half years later he has written The Bodyguard's Story, his firsthand account of Princess Diana's final weeks. It is not quite the romance portrayed in the tabloids and by the father of Dodi Al Fayed, who also died in the crash.

Rees-Jones and Kez Wingfield, a second bodyguard on duty, talked to Mike Wallace for an interview broadcast Sunday on 60 Minutes. Wallace talked about the story Monday with Early Show Co-Anchor Jane Clayson.

Rees-Jones told Wallace he first met Princess Diana when she and her children vacationed with the Al Fayed family, and then when she returned for a private holiday with Dodi Al Fayed.

In the interview, Rees-Jones revealed his frustration about serving as a bodyguard for Dodi Al Fayed. He felt this way "because, Dodi was a pain in the neck. I mean, he was - he didn't want to tell anybody where he was going ahead of time so it was difficult for a bodyguard to set up security," Wallace says.

Rees-Jones is coming forward now because "He's angry at Mohammed Al Fayed who, in effect, is blaming him for the crash and, of course it's inaccurate," Wallace explains. "Mohammed Al Fayed has come up with a conspiracy theory that says that the British royal family, the British government and the CIA here were in a conspiracy to kill Dodi and Diana to prevent their marriage."

Wallace dismisses suspicions that the bodyguard is just cashing in on his account of the princess. "No, he was offered a million bucks by The National Enquirer, turned it down; he was offered similar sums by various tabloids in England and turned it down," Wallace says. "He finally is writing it because he wants to set the record straight about his responsibility and those of his fellow bodyguard Kez Wingfield."

Another controversial point involves whether or not the bodyguard was wearing a seat belt. "Because if he was wearing a seat belt and didn't see to it that the other people were wearing seat belts, that's certainly unprofessional," Wallace explains. "The other question is, 'Why did he not perhaps determine that Henri Paul was indeed under the influence?'"

Rees-Jones did agree with the French court decision that Henri Paul was driving drunk, Wallace adds.

A critical part of Rees-Jones account involves the extent of the romance between the couple, and how it evolved from Princess Diana's initial visits with the Al Fayed family into an personal relationship with Dodi Al Fayed. Some say the couple purchased an engagement ring on one leg of a Monte Carlo trip. The bodyguard, however, contended he accompanied Dodi Al Fayed and Princess Diana anthat the pair never stopped at a jewelry store; he has no idea where the story came from, Wallace says.

Here is a segment of Wallace's interview with Rees-Jones:

Wallace: "Were you surprised when all of a sudden the princess came down by herself?"

Rees-Jones: "I was absolutely flabbergasted to find out the couple had gone away for one or two trips together."

Wallace: "Did they seem like perhaps not the most predictable couple together?"

Rees-Jones: "Well, they obviously enjoyed talking to each other when I saw them. They were of similar age and they seemed to get on well, but I didn't realize that it got any further than just pleasant chatting when they were out with the families."

Wallace: "How involved in Dodi's security was his father?"

Rees-Jones: He's a very hands-on boss; he likes to know exactly what's going on with everything."

Wallace: "You seem to talk about him with a certain admiration."

Rees-Jones: "I feel grateful for him, what he did for my parents after the accident flying them out to Paris. I feel sympathy for him that he's lost his son. Yeah, it's not - I don't hate the man. I mean, he's doing things which I don't appreciate and I think he's totally wrong."

Wallace: "What is he doing wrong?"

Rees-Jones: "He has now accused myself and Kez of saying that our lack of professionalism - as is his words, not mine - our lack of professionalism contributed or caused the accident that killed his son and the princess."

Wallace: "The initial report said that you were the only one to wear a seat belt."

Rees-Jones: "Yeah, they did."

Wallace: "Did you wear a seat belt?"

Rees-Jones: "I don't know. I really don't remember. I don't remember anything about the journey itself."

Wallace: "My understanding is none of you were wearing seat belts, and the thing that saved you apparently was an air bag."

Rees-Jones: "It was headlines that I was wearing a seat belt and again brought into question various so-called security experts and newspapers saying that it's an unprofessional thing to do. Then the report came out that the - that I wasn't wearing a seat belt that proves to other people I haven't made anything up. If I'd have remembered the journey, I would have remembered I wasn't wearing a seat belt."

Wallace: "The report is Henri Paul was driving 70 miles an hour, more than 70 miles an hour conceivably all the way up to 90 miles or wouldn't it have been your duty to say, 'Slow down, Henri?'"

Rees-Jones: "Again, I don't know what speed the vehicle was going because I don't remember. But if Henri Paul had been driving so fast that it was a security risk, that his driving was - that he couldn't control the car, that it was going too fast, then I would like to think that I would have said, 'Slow down.'"