Conspiracy theories dominate first week of Diana inquest

Oct 5, 2007, 14:34 GMT

Mohamed Al Fayed arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London for the beginning of the full inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, 02 October 2007. EPA/ANDY RAIN

London - A heady cocktail of love, espionage, murder and intrigue has dominated the first week of the inquest in London called to find out the 'truth' about how Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed died in a Paris car crash 10 years ago.

'The alleged plot to kill Diana would not disgrace the pages of a thriller,' said a commentary in the Daily Mail newspaper Friday.

In the sober words of the chairman of the inquest, senior judge Scott Baker, it is the jury's job to 'allay or substantiate' the allegations presented to the hearing.

As the jury prepared to travel by special jet to Paris early next week to reassemble 'in the open air' while visiting the scene of the crash, Baker reminded the 11 men and women of their duty to consider all evidence free from 'external influence' and, above, all, to avoid their pictures being taken.

For four days this week, the jury was shown a high-tech virtual reality recreation of the scene of the crash, as well as reams of CCTV footage of Diana's and Dodi's 'last hours' before they departed the Ritz Hotel in Paris for what turned out to be their final journey.

Images of Diana's 'last smile,' her 'last kiss' and her 'last embrace' with Dodi, the son and heir of Harrod's owner Mohammed al-Fayed, were all played to the jury, and released by the inquest to the public for the first time.

None of the highly sensitive and controversial conspiratorial issues that have surrounded the couple's death ever since the night of the fatal crash on August 31, 1997, have been spared during the first week, as Baker promised a full investigation into the 'intimate details of Diana's personal life.'

These include the question of whether or not Diana was pregnant with Dodi's child at the time of her death, as al-Fayed claims, whether she was about to become engaged to Dodi, whether British intelligence played a role in her death and, crucially, whether Henri Paul, the French driver of the crash Mercedes, was drunk.

On the question of pregnancy, Baker warned the jury that there 'might never be' conclusive scientific evidence 'one way or the other.'

The jury heard that no pregnancy test was carried out on Diana in the Paris clinic before she died, and also, a decision was taken to embalm her body against the August heat.

'What took place was not the kind of embalming associated with the Pharaohs, but rather an injection of fluids into Diana's blood vessels to slow the process of decomposition by stopping bacterial build-up,' explained Baker.

The jury would have to consider al-Fayed's claim that the embalming was carried out on the 'specific instruction' of Britain's security service, MI6, to conceal evidence that Diana was pregnant.

The question of Diana's pregnancy was relevant because 'it is said to have provided the motive or part of the motive for killing Diana,' Baker told the jury.

But he also said that evidence would be presented to show that Diana had been taking the contraceptive pill.

Concerning al-Fayed's claim that the events in Paris on the fateful night were directed by agents of MI6, and more specifically, through the then British Ambassador, Michael Jay, Baker confirmed that intelligence officers were in Paris at the time.

However, they were there to tackle issues such as international terrorism and organized crime, and not to track Diana's movements, said Baker.

'In other words, it is claimed that they had other and bigger fish to fry,' he said.

But judging by the first week of proceedings, the most heated arguments will surround the movements of Henri Paul, the driver of the Mercedes car, who was acting head of security at the Fayed-owned Paris Ritz.

Blood tests taken by French investigators, and confirmed in a British police inquiry, showed that Paul was at least twice over the alcohol limit when he drove the speeding Mercedes against a pillar in the Pont d'Alma tunnel, and that he was under the influence of medication.

Describing some of the results as 'puzzling,' Baker urged the jury to consider whether the 'samples analyzed had indeed come from Henri Paul or whether they had come from a completely different person.

'Henri Paul's role and his actions leading up to the crash in the early hours of Sunday, August 31, are critical to assessing the conspiracy to murder allegations,' Baker told the jury.

Al-Fayed believes that Paul worked for security services and was 'instrumental in carrying out the plan, either inadvertently or otherwise, to have Diana and Dodi murdered.'

Presentation of al-Fayed's case to the inquest is to begin after the jury returns from Paris in the middle of next week.