Why was Dean Woodward in a coma and did Princess Diana visit him?
PRINCESS Diana was defined by her compassion and kindness to others and was said to have made a real difference to people's lives. She made a particular impact on the Woodward family, from Nottingham, after a chance meeting in September 1990s. Dean, then 23, was laying in a coma after being in a horrific car accident. The young dad had been on his way home from work with two friends when the van he was a passenger collided with a lorry. He was taken to Nottinghams Queen Medical Centre where he lay in a coma for five weeks, having suffered terrible head injuries and a collapsed lung. Princess Diana met Dean's mother, Ivy, while visiting Prince Charles at Nottinghams Queen Medical Centre in September 1990. Prince Charles was undergoing an operation after he had broken his elbow while playing polo. Diana was saw Deans mother Ivy crying in a corridor of the hospital and asked her what had happened and comforted her. The princess then visited Dean while he was unconscious, where she spoke to him and mopped his forehead. 5 Prince Charles was having an operation on his elbow after breaking it playing polo Credit: Getty  She also offered support to Ivy and Deans wife Jane during a vigil for him at the hospital. Diana made five private visits to Deans bedside whilst he was still in the intensive care ward at the hospital. Four weeks after Dianas first visit, Dean finally regained consciousness and by December 1990 he was well enough to go home to his wife. When Dean heard about the Princess of Wales he was shocked to find out about his surprise visitor. He said: Diana was so soft, so warm-hearted and comforting at a very hard time for my family.  5 Dean described Diana as a 'loving friend' Credit: Getty  The young dad said her visits had made him fee so special and that she truly made a difference. The dad revealed that William and Harry werent allowed into intensive care, so they played with his son Ben during Dianas visits. Diana is said to have bonded with Ivy and wrote her a letter when she heard of Deans progress. It was said that the Princess helped him wake up from his coma. The family remained in contact for the seven years after Dianas first visit to Dean. 5 Diana remained in contact with the Woodward family for seven years Credit: Getty Images - Getty  She visited his uncles home in Nottingham a year after the accident for a cup of tea and a chat. Dean said: We talked about everything and anything, we shared stories about our children, we spoke as friends.  Diana was said to have checked up on Dean over the years and in 1993 they were reunited again. She had been visiting a Red Cross centre in Nottingham where she spotted Dean and Ivy in the crowd and rushed over to greet them. Dean told the Princess: I'm sorry to hear about your marriage. There's always a place at my home for you.  She thanked him and the two remained in contact, where she sent letters and made telephone calls to see how he was doing. When Dean had heard of Dianas death, he said he cried for hours. Wills and Kate did not meet Harry after Philips funeral over fears conversations would be leaked, historian claims. Prince Harry is still happy & jokey despite royal feud, pal James Corden reveals.