Princess Diana's Driver Finally Breaks His Silence | Good Morning Britain

morning to you good morning very much for coming in 20 years ago this month it seems extraordinary now when you think back to its what makes you want to talk about this you not talks about this at all till now why do you want to now talk about this one I just felt that it was appearing everyday in newspapers and various things that I was listening to people and that was an emotional day the day that she died I got the phone call yes I can vividly what was it like where were you I was in bed with my wife and she answered the phone it had a bit of banter with the guy on the other end and then she looked round at me and said I think you'd better get up and sit on the end of the bed and take this phone call and it was a colleague from Balmoral who was telling me that her or harness was actually injured and put the television on the new you'll see so that's what I did you know as a bit of a shock got dressed and went down to Kensington Palace so when did the news come through that it was even worse than you thought and you were summoned I guess to go to Paris yes it was quite difficult because Robin Cook who was then the Foreign Secretary I was on the television giving giving what had happened and and he was explaining that she was injured and when in fact the private secretary Michael was telling the six of us in the office sadly she died so at that point they then say we need to bring Diana back and you're charged with going out there yes how difficult was it Colin when you land in Paris we've got this for all around what's happened because there's extraordinary circumstances and then and then you have to walk into a room and and that you see that your boss someone who I'm sure you admired and thought the world of was passed away and was lying on the table in there in a mortuary yes the 24 hours was quite difficult getting to Paris where it was fine getting to the embassy was great except I didn't speak French my wife speaks it fluently which phone helped and I I knew one of the military attache Brigadier Richie who immediately came into the room and he used to work with with Princess Anne so I was taken into to help where I went to the hotel and then I went to the hospital and arrived at the hospital lots of people about I think it was the first floor and there was a lot of people and in a way the world was in shock grief disbelief and you had to hold things together didn't you and you were the person who had to get practical yes I mean I was an inspector but I did say that perhaps people are expected Lords ladies and Colonels in this in this particular instance but we were dealt with by Sir Michael Jay very very well and given it everything that I needed I was given but you had to sort of draw the curtains Tiger fans really practical things that in grief people hadn't thought of the the the is very difficult and emotional to see a person lying in a bed and not in a mortar II and when I was in the room which was very very hot I looked out of the window and I could see people on a roof now whether they knew where where the princess was I don't know but that worried me so I got some blankets because there was no curtains and we put blankets along the windows which made it even hotter in the room and I then went and got some fans to try and call the room down and that one moment in my life which perhaps my professionalism was lacking a little bit because as I turned round the eyelashes and the hair of the princess were moving caused by the fan and that just struck me yes a second I had to turn away think about it and then gripped myself back and get on with what I was doing well like everybody else knew more so probably we were desperate for it not to be true so you or the idea that potentially you know that this was all not true and that she was okay and she was going to survive was what we were after your relationship with her is I think he's it's fascinating what what was she like as a boss and sort of how close do you think you became there is a line you don't cross that line you speak to when you're spoken to and it is still very correct she was still very royal and yes we were often together in the car and it would be like conversation she had a tremendous sense of humor and wherever we went and I never had a cross word in the two years not one cross worth you buy I think they went in too fast but it in the inquest that was sorted out I've driven through the tunnel myself there are stands in the tunnel which if you you can be taken a little bit by if you amount to trains in a station one moves out you think you're moving you go in too fast where there's stanchions it's getting a little bit worrying so whatever happened with perhaps a little bit too fast and been taken away with the lady in the back did you feel strange sense responsibility and wished you were driving that day and yes you already do that you always do that yes that is not good to have in the mind yeah one of your memories of Princess down and out because of course that was such a an emotional time and twenty years ago but when you think back and think of her legacy a great boss I felt the last year from August the 28th when the divorce came through that year up to her death she felt to me because I didn't work with the years ago as a police officer I was with princess princess man but she was good she seemed to be living a good life and happy do you think she will be proud of her boys and oh tremendous for you really would be Kylie thank you very much for coming here absolutely yes this morning it's been really fascinating to see it to hear your side of the story but sharing the story as well thank you you

Channel: Good Morning Britain

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Keywords: good morning britain, breakfast show, news, morning news, gmb, good morning britain interview, morning breakfast show, itv morning, morning show, piers morgan, susanna reid, Princess Diana, Diana, Princess of Wales, Colin Tebbutt

Id: 6_VHoCbHLC8

Length: 6min 20sec (380 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 10 2017