A former bodyguard of princess Dianawho she nicknamed “Rambo” after the ’80s action character, says he believes she’d still be alive had he been on duty the night she died.
Lee Sansum, now 60, opened up in an interview with The sun about the night the royal family, along with Dodi Fayed, died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997.
He discussed that no one in the vehicle was wearing seat belts – something he says he has always insisted on.
And 25 years after the devastating night, the former military police reveal how he could have been with the princess that weekend, and in the car with them.
He said, ‘It could have been me in that car. We drew straws to see who would join Trevor [Rees-Jones] that weekend. When I heard that they weren’t wearing seat belts in the crash, I understood why they didn’t survive. I’ve always insisted on it.’
On August 31, it will be 25 years since Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris while she was with Dodi Fayed, the son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrod.
Lee, ex-Royal Military Police officer, martial arts champion, private military contractor and personal protection expert, added that it was standard practice for the family to wear seat belts, ordered by Mohamed Al-Fayed.
He made the comments while discussing his new book, “The Bodyguard,” about his life as a personal security expert, calling it “the story of the real bodyguard.”
Over the course of his career, Lee has worked with the rich and famous, such as Hollywood stars Tom and Nicole, Pele and Sylvester Stallone, and in the book he gives a candid account of what it’s like to work in a job where life is literally at stake.
At the time of Diana’s death, he was part of the protection team of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods department store and Fulham FC.
Lee Sansum, now 60, was nicknamed “Rambo” by Diana and has since written a book about his experiences in personal protection
He had been given the task of looking after Diana and her sons William and Harry during their stay at Al-Fayad’s 30-bedroom villa in St. Tropez that summer in 1997.
In his book, he says he had a close relationship with Diana and the young princes, especially Harry.
Burnley native Lee said Diana would wake up every day at 7am and chat with him. He said she was concerned about her own life after the murder of her fashion designer friend Gianni Versace, who was fatally shot outside his Miami Beach mansion in July 1997.
“She’d been happy about that vacation,” he said. “But I had also seen her in tears, confiding in me her own fears that she would one day be murdered.
“She said something that’s always stayed with me – ‘Do you think they’ll do that to me?’
Lee explained that despite her efforts to reassure her, she was trembling and it was clear she really thought “they” could.
Lee also recalls Diana telling him she wanted to live with Dodi in America because it was the one place she thought people wouldn’t try her.
The martial arts expert said he immediately caught a glimpse of young William and Harry, who were level-headed and friendly, just like their mother.
He remembers trying to teach the two some kickboxing, but they were too “worried.”
Growing up in a tough part of Greater Manchester, Lee believed that to survive you have to face bullies and be tougher than your opponent.
He had a career with the Royal Netherlands Military Constabulary that took him to South Armagh’s “Bandit Country” where he retrieved an AWOL squad from a honey trap just before an IRA active duty unit arrived to kill him.
Lee Sansum (wearing sunglasses) with Diana while on holiday in St Tropez, France in 1997
He also worked undercover in Northern Ireland and joined the SIB, the military’s own internal affairs unit, before entering the world of private security, operating in the world’s hot spots, such as Libya and the breakaway state of Somaliland. .
Lee’s story is one of them achieving personal goals and overcoming trauma, which he says was through the help of his wife, Kate, and his twin sons, as well as his love of martial arts.
On his Instagram page @leesansum earlier this year he wrote: ‘Super excited about my book launch in April next year’.
On another post he also wrote:Keep seeing new pictures of me and the princess @princess.diana.forever popping up in the national media…and still the questions continue. I wish people would read the findings of the coroner’s investigation and start asking some very obvious questions.”
But Lee writes in his book that he doesn’t believe Diana was murdered, but the presence of intelligence agencies following her before the accident may have been a factor in the crash.
He said one of his colleagues recognized someone from the Special Reconnaissance Unit working on a nearby construction site. They had both previously worked together in the SAS.
The letter Diana Lee sent after the trip in St Tropez thanking him for his service, which Lee now cherishes very much
He also added that they were always followed by MI5, but this was the first time they saw anyone from the Special Forces.
Lee added: “I believe security officers following Diana, possibly a British or a combined British-French team, either accidentally caused the crash or were near the car when it happened.”
Lee, who now speaks often in public, has a letter he received from the princess 25 years ago after that summer vacation, which he will cherish forever.
The letter reads, “Dear Lee. William, Harry and I really wanted to write to you to thank you for looking after us so well during our stay in St Tropez. We realize that our presence, along with that of the media, has made your job extremely difficult, and for that we apologize! However, we all had a magical ten days – which would not have been possible without your invaluable contribution and for that we thank you all very much.’
The Bodyguard (Seven Dials), by Lee Sansum, will be out September 1st for £9.99.