The on-going inquiry into the death of Princess Diana continues to provide valuable “lessons learned” for Executive Protection specialists and not to mention, grist for the conspiracy mill. Princess Diana’s protection specialist was Trevor Rees who has continued to play a prominent role in inquiries into the life and death of Princess Diana. Trevor Rees was riding in the passenger seat when the crash occurred that killed Princess Diana and her companion, Dodi Al Fayed. During a recent interview with Good Morning America, Trevor Rees said that the accident that killed Princess Diana was the fault of the driver Henri Paul who Rees accused of being drunk when the accident occurred. Obviously Rees’ comments have been thoroughly investigated once before but his most recent comments are likely to rekindle the controversy.
Let’s assume for a moment that the driver Henri Paul was in fact drunk when he got behind the wheel of the Mercedes that Princess Diana and Al-fayed were using that evening. Obviously he would have to be noticeably drunk in order for Rees to reach that conclusion. I’ve always wanted to ask, knowing, or suspecting that the driver was drunk, why then did Rees put his protectee in a vehicle driven by someone he suspected to be drunk? There was always the option of waiting in the hotel until other arrangements could be made. This was not a life or death situation. It was a situation of avoiding or escaping paparazzi, not armed assailants. Other than a the inconvenience of time, I don’t understand what were the circumstances that warranted taking a risk with a driver who was described as drunk?
The issue of alcohol notwithstanding, you can only drive so fast for so long before the risk of an accident becomes a far greater possibility equal to, or perhaps greater than, the situation you are trying to avoid. The recent accident that nearly claimed the life of New Jersey Governor Corzine is a perfect example for Executive Protection specialists. Traffic accidents will claim the life of your principal as quickly as an attack.
The other lesson here is the need to use seatbelts, for both the protectee and the protector. The single most dangerous thing most of us will do everyday is get in a vehicle. There is no tactical advantage to be gained by not wearing a seatbelt. In fact, there is everything to be gained by wearing a seatbelt. The prospect of having to climb over the front seat to provide body cover for your principal is far less likely to occur than an accident.
Another parallel with the Governor Corzine accident is driver training. According to the news reports, Henri was not licensed to drive the Mercedes that he used that evening. As was demonstrated in the Corzine accident, executive protection training specific to evasive driving, and accident avoidance is paramount. A license to drive is merely a formal recognition of legal permission to operate a vehicle. It certainly doesn’t indicate competency. When it comes to executive protection, drivers must be skilled not only with the vehicle they are operating but also trained to executive protection standards and conditions.
No doubt the death of Princess Diana will continue to enthrall the public. In any case, following this case will provide more learning opportunities for executive protection.
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