It was in a BBC documentary titled "Diana, 7 Days," that many recalled that Princess Diana was alive after the car crashed crash in Pont de l'Alma tunnel, Paris. Prince Harry criticising the paparazzi present at the venue reminded the world that Princess of Wales was alive and people at the spot knew that.

Princess Diana
Princess Diana greets well-wishers during her trip to a park in Burnaby, Canada, May 6, 1986Reuters

"She'd had quite a severe head injury but she was very much alive on the back seat," he said. But did you know, she was not only alive but she also had a conversation with one of the firefighters who came to her rescue. Little did fire fighter Xavier Gourmelon know that the words from Diana's mouth to him that night would be her last words.

Also Read: Princess Diana's death: Her final call, the last ride and the crash, here's how it all happened

Talking to The Sun, Xavier recalled Diana's final moments confirming she was alive and there were high chances that she would have survived the tragic crash.

Recounting the events, Xavier shares that Lady Diana was conscious and her eyes were open as he pulled her from the wrecked Mercedes. "We were very close to there and it took less than three minutes to reach it. My ten-man team was in two trucks and we were first to arrive.

"The car was in a mess and we just dealt with it like any road accident. We got straight to work to see who needed help and who was alive. Diana said to me, "My God, what's happened?" The woman, who I later found out was Princess Diana, was on the floor in the back. She was moving very slightly and I could see she was alive," he revealed.

"I could see she had a slight injury to her right shoulder but, other than that, there was nothing significant. There was no blood on her at all. I held her hand and told her to be calm and keep still, I said I was there to help and reassured her. She said, "My God, what's happened?" I gave her some oxygen and my team and I stayed by her side as she was taken out of the car. It was very quick because we didn't have to cut any of the wreckage,'' Xavier added.

Princess Diana death funeral
File photo dated 31 August 1997 shows a French police expert (L in the background) working on the wreckage of Princess Diana's car in the Alma tunnel of Paris.PIERRE BOUSSEL/AFP/Getty Images

Though he thought he managed to save the victim, moments later Diana stopped breathing. "We are all trained to give first aid and I saw that she suffered a cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. 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," he explained.

"To be honest I thought she would live. 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 hospital. It was very upsetting. I can still picture it now in my mind," he shared.

London mourned its loss, even 20 years after she died in tje tragic crash. British citizens and fans of the royal family paid their respect to the Princess of Wales by placing flowers on the gates of the Kennington Palace.