A former bodyguard of Lady Di, whom she nicknamed “Rambo” after the 1980s action figure, says the princess would be alive if he had been on duty the night she died. Lee Sansum, now 60, opened up in an interview with the British newspaper “The Sun” about the night William and Harry’s mother, along with Dodi Al-Fayed, died in a car accident in Paris on March 31. August 1997.
Sansum said no one in the vehicle was wearing seat belts, something he says he always insisted on. Furthermore, he revealed how he could have been with the princess that weekend.
“It could have been me in that car. We drew straws to see who would accompany Trevor [Rees-Jones] that weekend. When I found out that they weren’t wearing seat belts in the accident, I understood why they didn’t survive. I always insisted on it,” she assured.
Lee, a former royal military policeman, martial arts champion, private military contractor and personal protection expert, added that it was standard practice for the family to wear seat belts, an order sent by Mohamed Al-Fayed. The comments come ahead of the imminent release of his new book, “Protecting Diana: A Bodyguard’s Story” about his life as a personal protection expert.
Throughout his career, Lee has worked with the rich and famous, including Hollywood stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Pelé and Sylvester Stallone, and in the book he offers a candid account of what it’s like to have a job where lives they are literally at stake.
At the time of Diana’s death, she was part of the protection team for Mohamed Al-Fayed, owner of the Hôtel Ritz Paris and previously of Harrods department store and Fulham FC.
He had been assigned to look after Diana and her sons William and Harry during their stay at Al-Fayad’s 30-bedroom villa in St Tropez that summer of 1997. In his book, he says he formed a close bond with Diana and the young princes, particularly with Harry.
Burnley-born Lee said Diana woke up at 7am every day and chatted with him. She said she was concerned for her own life after the murder of her friend, fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was fatally shot outside her Miami Beach mansion in July 1997.
“She had been happy on those vacations. But I had also seen her cry, she confided in me her own fears that one day she might be killed. She said something that always stayed with me: ‘Do you think they will do that to me?'” assured.
Lee explained that despite trying to reassure her, she was shaking and it was clear that she really thought ‘they’ could do it. Lee also recalls that Diana told her that she wanted to live with Dodi in the United States, as it was the only place where she felt that people would not bother her.
The martial arts expert said he fell instantly in love with young William and Harry, who were down-to-earth and friendly, just like their mother. He recalls that he tried to teach the two of them some kickboxing, but they were too “squeamish.”
Lee grew up in a tough part of Greater Manchester and believed that to survive you must stand up to bullies and be tougher than your opponent. He had a career in the Royal Military Police that took him to the ‘Bandit Country’ of South Armagh, where he pulled an AWOL squad out of a honey trap moments before an IRA active duty unit arrived to kill him.
He also worked undercover in Northern Ireland and joined the SIB, the Army’s own internal affairs unit, before entering the world of private security, operating in world hotspots such as Libya and the breakaway state of Somaliland.
Lee’s story is one of achieving personal goals while overcoming trauma, which he says was thanks to the help of his wife, Kate, and their twin sons, as well as his love of martial arts. On his Instagram page, @leesansum wrote earlier this year that he was happy about the release of his book.
“Very excited for my book release in April next year.” In another post, she also wrote: “Keep seeing new photos of me and princess @princess.diana.forever in the national media… and the questions continue. I wish people would read the results of the coroner’s investigation and start to ask some very obvious questions,” he wrote.
But Lee writes in his book that he does not believe that Diana was killed, but the presence of intelligence services following her before the accident could have been a factor in the accident. She said that one of her colleagues recognized someone from the Special Reconnaissance Unit who was working at a nearby construction site. Both had previously worked together in the SAS.
He also added that MI5 had always followed them, but this was the first time they had seen someone from the Special Forces.
“I think the security officers following Diana, possibly British or a combined British-French team, may have inadvertently caused the accident or were very close to the car when it happened,” he said.
Lee, who now regularly participates in public speaking events, has a letter she received from the princess 25 years ago after that summer getaway, which she says she will always treasure.
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, made it extremely difficult your work, 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 all send you our sincerest thanks.’
The Bodyguard (Seven Dials), by Lee Sansum, will go on sale on September 1st at a price of £9.99.
ABC