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Princess Diana’s death on August 31, 1997, is one of the biggest tragedies of our time. Now, the final words she spoke just before her death reveal just how horrendous that night truly was. Princess Diana died from injuries sustained during a horrific car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris, France. In an interview with the US Sun, a firefighter who was on the scene of her accident revealed the last words spoken by the 36-year-old member of the British royal family.

The firefighter thought he’d saved her.

Xavier Gourmelon thought that he had saved Diana’s life by giving her CPR. He recalls her being conscious with her eyes open. But upon placing her on a stretcher, she went into cardiac arrest.

These were her last words.

The firefighter says that Diana asked him, “My God, what’s happened?” Continuing, Xavier said, “I massaged her heart and a few seconds later she started breathing again. It was a relief of course because, as a first responder, you want to save lives — and that’s what I thought I had done.”

The firefighter expected her to live.

“To be honest I thought she would live,” Xavier said, per the US Sun. “As far as I knew when she was in the ambulance she was alive and I expected her to live. But I found out later she had died in the hospital. It was very upsetting.”

Xavier didn’t know that it was Princess Diana at first.

When Diana was put into the ambulance, another paramedic made it known to Xavier who the victim was. “I was so shocked. I knew who she was, but don’t follow British royalty closely,” he said. “I went to the ambulance and looked in and that’s when I recognized her.”

There were others who died in the crash as well.

Diana’s driver, Henri Paul, and partner, Dodi Fayed, were also killed in the crash. Their bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was also in the car but only received severe injuries. He was the only passenger wearing a seatbelt. According to the US Sun, Henri was under the influence and speeding when he crashed into the wall of the tunnel.