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Princess Diana's Final Words Have Been Revealed, And They're Heartbreaking

A French firefighter is speaking out about how he tried to save her.
File photo of Diana, Princess of Wales on during a visit to Leicester.
PA Wire/PA Images
File photo of Diana, Princess of Wales on during a visit to Leicester.

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, and even though it's been so long since she's left us, we're still learning new information about her untimely passing.

As most of us know, the 36-year-old died from injuries retained from a car crash in Paris, after being pursued by paparazzi. French firefighter Xavier Gourmelon, who was there on the scene, recently opened up about the night she passed away, and noted he was the last person to see her alive.

In an interview with "Good Morning Britain," Gourmelon revealed the princess' heartbreaking last words as she lay in the car wreck.

"Nobody knew it was her; no one had recognized her," Gourmelon said. "As I approached, there was a blond person sitting on the floor, she regained consciousness and looked at me and said, 'Oh, my God, what's happened?'"

He continued, "[She was] a bit agitated, I tried to calm her down and tell her we'd look after her, and she fell into a coma again."

She regained consciousness and looked at me and said, 'Oh, my God, what's happened?'

According to Gourmelon, Diana was conscious and had her eyes open when he pulled her out of the car wreck. "She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive... I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all."

Police remove the crumpled wreck of the Mercedez-Benz which was carrying Princess Diana in Paris early August 31. The car crashed in a an underpass in central Paris. Princess Diana, her companion Dodi Al Fayed and the driver were all killed in the crash.
STR New / Reuters
Police remove the crumpled wreck of the Mercedez-Benz which was carrying Princess Diana in Paris early August 31. The car crashed in a an underpass in central Paris. Princess Diana, her companion Dodi Al Fayed and the driver were all killed in the crash.

However, when Gourmelon lifted her from the backseat and onto a stretcher, she suffered cardiac arrest.

"I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she was breathing again," he said. "It was a relief of course because, as a first responder, you want to save lives — and that's what I thought I had done. To be honest, I thought she would live. As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in the hospital. It was very upsetting."

I found out later she had died in the hospital. It was very upsetting.

Despite lengthy resuscitation attempts, Diana passed away at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital at 4 a.m., August 31, 1997.

In the weeks leading up to the anniversary of Diana's death, her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the Duchess of Cambridge, have paid tribute to the late princess.

The day before the 20th anniversary, Will, Harry, and Kate toured the newly named White Garden at Kensington Palace, which was replanted in honour of Diana.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on August 30, 2017 in London, England. The garden has been transformed into a White Garden dedicated in the memory of Princess Diana, mother of The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry visit The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on August 30, 2017 in London, England. The garden has been transformed into a White Garden dedicated in the memory of Princess Diana, mother of The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage)

In the documentary "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy," the brothers went through old photo albums of their mum and them as children.

"This is the first time that the two of us have ever spoken about her as a mother," Harry said in the doc. "She was one of the naughtiest parents."

"She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun," William added. "But she understood that there was a real life outside of palace walls."

Harry also shared his heartbreaking thoughts on his late mother.

"She was our mum. She still is our mum. And of course, as a son I would say this, she was the best mum in the world. She smothered us with love, that's for sure," he said.

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