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21 August 1997
Diana is preparing to leave Kensington Palace for Battersea Heliport to go to Stansted Airport for the fourth time this summer.
Paul Burrell is not present at Kensington Palace to help Diana get ready this time as he is on holiday with his family in Ireland.
Diana is preparing to leave Kensington Palace for Battersea Heliport to go to Stansted Airport for the fourth time this summer.
Paul Burrell is not present at Kensington Palace to help Diana get ready this time as he is on holiday with his family in Ireland.
Diana’s driver at Kensington Palace, Colin Tebbutt has devised a plan so that she can get to Battersea with no one seeing her.
He has commandeered an old Volvo and hidden its back windows by hanging suit jackets.
On leaving, Colin is careful they are not being followed.
He has commandeered an old Volvo and hidden its back windows by hanging suit jackets.
On leaving, Colin is careful they are not being followed.
On arrival at Battersea Heliport, Dodi is no where to be seen so Colin waits with Diana in the Volvo in a side street near a timber yard.
Colin is irritated that anyone would have the arrogance to be late for someone like the Princess of Wales.
Diana is cheerful nonetheless.
Colin is irritated that anyone would have the arrogance to be late for someone like the Princess of Wales.
Diana is cheerful nonetheless.
10 minutes later, Diana is still waiting in the back seat of the inconspicuous old Volvo with her driver Colin Tebbutt.
Dodi is disorganised and often changes his plans however he has a large team of paid employees around him who manage the chaos this creates.
Dodi is disorganised and often changes his plans however he has a large team of paid employees around him who manage the chaos this creates.
After 20 minutes, Dodi Fayed finally turns up with his bodyguards.
Colin drives from the timber yard to the heliport and remonstrates with the bodyguards for keeping Diana waiting.
They sneeringly respond:
“There is English time, Arab time and Dodi time”
Colin drives from the timber yard to the heliport and remonstrates with the bodyguards for keeping Diana waiting.
They sneeringly respond:
“There is English time, Arab time and Dodi time”
The bodyguard who speaks to Colin Tebbutt then accuses him and Diana of being late and makes a derogatory comment about Colin’s Royal Marines baseball cap.
Colin threatens to drive Diana to Stansted himself but things blow over and she boards the helipcopter with Dodi.
Colin threatens to drive Diana to Stansted himself but things blow over and she boards the helipcopter with Dodi.
Colin picked up Diana directly from Stansted after her holiday with Rosa Monckton the previous day and dropped Rosa off in Belgravia.
Colin is completely professional in his duties for Diana, he is a a former royal marine and a police officer.
Colin is completely professional in his duties for Diana, he is a a former royal marine and a police officer.
Colin always uses a back vehicle in case of any incidents when driving Diana and has even used one when transporting her in the old Volvo today. He has never seen the need to break the speed limit to avoid the media as he is a professional driver and ex-police protection officer.
Colin expects to pick Diana up again from Stansted on 28 August.
His evidence to the inquest in 2008 is, as ever, worth reading in full.
His professionalism starkly contrasts with the chaos and egotism of the Fayed operation.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090607230404uo_/http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/hearing_transcripts/261107pm.htm
His evidence to the inquest in 2008 is, as ever, worth reading in full.
His professionalism starkly contrasts with the chaos and egotism of the Fayed operation.
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090607230404uo_/http://www.scottbaker-inquests.gov.uk/hearing_transcripts/261107pm.htm
