Princess Diana crash witness breaks 20-year silence

A witness who was at the scene of Prince Diana's fatal crash has broken his silence after 20 years and he fears there are some questions that need to be answered for him to feel comfortable with it being what he says is a 'genuine accident'.

Retired lawyer Stanlee Culbreath, 69, says Diana's chances of survival were greatly reduced by a long delay in emergency services arriving at the scene.

In an interview with The Mirror, Culbreath revealed he questioned the ability of the French emergency services and believes "other forces were involved" in her death.

"I always thought it was suspicious, that other forces played a hand, but now, 20 years on, I question more than ever whether it was a genuine accident. I just think it is dubious.

"If that's the Princess, why did it take 20 minutes or so to get to her and, when she was finally released [from the car], why did they pass one hospital and take her to another?"

Culbreath was on holiday in France when he, two friends and a taxi driver pulled into Pont de l'Alma tunnel where they were confronted with the wreckage of Diana's car.

At the time he was unaware Diana was a victim but commented to a friend saying "Damn, a junkie on Main Street would get waited on quicker than this".

The retired lawyer remembers seeing bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones' legs hanging out the car while holding a towel to his bleeding nose.

In the back seat Diana's lover Dodi Fayed was already dead, while Diana lay there injured, but talking, according to the witness.

Culbreath told The Mirror emergency services took an age to arrive while police didn't appear to act with any urgency.

"After 15 or 20 minutes, there was still no paramedic on the scene... There was only one cop there I could see who told us to get back. He kept saying, 'Get away, get away'.

"As the window's in the rear were dark, I could not see who was the in the back. I was pleading with the officer to open the door... it looked like it could be pulled open. He wasn't doing sh*t. He wasn't doing anything.

"It was as if those there had decided nothing could be done. It's just my opinion, but it took them a long time to get her out."

• This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.