Diana inquest shown dramatic footage of 'last hours' (Roundup)

Oct 3, 2007, 17:24 GMT

This photo made available late 2nd October 2007 by Britain\'s H.M. Coroner office showing Princess Diana turning to look out of the back window of the Mercedes she was travelling in with Dodi al Fayed in the early hours of 31 August 1997 moments before crashing. EPA/CROWN COPYRIGHT RESERVED

London - Dramatic video footage tracing the final hours of Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed before they died in a car crash in Paris 10 years ago were published for the first time Wednesday by an inquest in London called to investigate the facts, rumours and speculation about their deaths.

CCTV footage from the Ritz Hotel in Paris, which is owned by Dodi's father, Mohammed al-Fayed, showed how the couple spent their last few hours before the fatal crash on August 31, 1997.

They showed how Dodi, and his bodyguard Trever Rees, left the hotel in central Paris on the afternoon of August 31 to visit Repossi's, the jeweller's, and Dodi returning with a brochure from the famous shop soon afterwards.

Minutes later, the hotel's security chief, Claude Roulet, is seen coming into the hotel with a small paper bag that, it is alleged by al-Fayed, contained an engagement ring for Diana.

Al-Fayed has always maintained that his son and Diana were 'murdered' because their liaison was 'an embarrassment to the British establishment,' and that the princess was pregnant and about to become engaged to Dodi.

However, the coroner chairing the inquest, Scott Baker, warned the jury Wednesday that there 'may never be scientific evidence' of whether or not Diana was pregnant.

He promised that there would be a full investigation into the 'intimate details of her personal life.'

'It is likely that pregnancy is a matter that cannot be proved one way or the other in scientific terms in this case,' Baker said.

He added there was evidence that the princess had been using the contraceptive pill.

No pregnancy test was carried out on Diana at the Paris hospital where she was taken after the crash, and died in the early hours of August 31.

The inquest will also investigate the decision by the French authorities to embalm Diana's body, which al-Fayed claims was ordered by British intelligence 'to conceal that she was pregnant.'

Earlier, the jury was shown a 'final picture' of Princess Diana, taken some five minutes before she died in the crash.

The photograph, published by newspapers for the first time Wednesday, was taken by French snapper Jacques Langevin, and shows Diana, head turned, looking out of the back window of the Mercedes car at what appear to be paparazzi in pursuit.

It also shows bodyguard Trevor Rees, in the front passenger seat, who survived the crash, and French driver Henri Paul, who was killed along with Diana and Dodi.

Other pictures shown to the jury, and later published on the inquest's official website, show the wreckage of the car after it hit a pillar in the Pont d'Alma tunnel.

The jury, which is due to investigate previous findings that Paul was three times over the legal alcohol driving limit on the night of the crash, will travel to the scene in Paris next week.

Touching on the controversy surrounding the issue of whether Paul was unfit to drive, Baker said the inquest would have to examine questions relating to samples taken from the chauffeur.

Some of the results presented to two pervious inquiries 'might appear puzzling,' Baker said. Al-Fayed has questioned the reliability of the blood tests taken from Paul, who was employed by him.

It was also confirmed to the inquest that members of Britain's foreign intelligence service MI6 were in Paris during the summer of 1997.

'Their role consisted of liaison work with the French authorities in respect of such matters as counter terrorism and tackling organized crime,' Baker said.

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