After the death of Princess Diana, her former driver and minder has revealed he ‘lobbied’ for hospital undertakers to be allowed to ‘tidy’ her up before her family arrived.
Colin Tebbutt recalled the moments after the Princess of Wales’ tragic death following a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Mr Tebbutt explained that he became worried about preserving Diana‘s body in the hospital.
What happened after Princess Diana’s death?
He said he “lobbied” for hospital undertakers to be allowed to “tidy up” Diana.
Read more: ‘Tearful’ Prince Charles ‘prayed inside Diana’s hospital room’ after car crash
Mr Tebbutt told the Daily Mail that he had been told that Buckingham Palace said Diana “must not be touched or moved” until royal undertakers Leverton & Sons arrived.
He added: “I rang Mr Gibbins [Diana’s private secretary] and lobbied him for the hospital undertakers to be allowed to ‘tidy up’ Diana.
“I’m thinking, the Prince is coming, her family’s coming, I want the boss to be in good form.”
Mr Tebbutt then said permission was granted “from Balmoral” and there was a “lady and a gentleman undertaker” as well as Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell who went in to “do her hair”.
Meanwhile, Father Yves-Marie Clochard-Bossuet recalled the moment he saw the late princess.
He said: “They had put on eye-shadow and make-up. She didn’t have the naturalness she had before. She looked like a doll, whereas before she was just a very beautiful woman.”
What happened on the night of the crash?
Diana and her partner Dodi Fayed fled the Ritz in Paris by the rear entrance to try and avoid the paparazzi outside the front of the hotel.
Minutes later, their Mercedes – driven by Henri Paul – had a “glancing collision” with a Fiat Uno in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
This resulted in Paul losing control of the car and it smashed into the thirteenth pillar that supported the roof at 65mph.
No one was wearing a seatbelt.
When did Diana die?
A few hours after the crash, Diana died in hospital from the injuries she sustained.
Read more: Princess Diana ‘would have cautioned Prince Harry about Oprah interview’
Fayed and Paul died at the scene. Their bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, survived.
July 1 marks what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday.
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