VARIOUS: An inquest into the death of Princess Diana finally opens in London 10 years after she was killed in a Paris car

An inquest into the death of Princess Diana finally opens in London 10 years after she was killed in a Paris car crash along with her lover Dodi al-Fayed. Dodi's father Mohamed al-Fayed, the owner of the luxury Harrods store, alleges the British royal family was involved in her death. An inquest opened on Tuesday (October 2) into Princess Diana's death in a Paris car crash 10 years ago, with her lover's father convinced the British royal family ordered the killing. Mohamed al-Fayed, whose son Dodi died in the crash after a brief but high-profile summer romance with Diana, alleges the couple were killed on the orders of Queen Elizabeth's husband, Diana's former father-in-law. Al-Fayed, owner of London's luxury Harrods store, fought a long legal battle to have the inquest heard by a judge and jury. London's High Court is expected to spend up to six months deciding if her death was an accident. "I'm hoping for justice. Im a father who lost his son and fighting for 10 years, at last we are going to have a jury from ordinary people and I hope to reach a decision which I believe, my son and Princess Diana have been murdered by the royal family," said al-Fayed before entering the High Court. Major investigations by French and British police have concluded the deaths were a tragic accident caused by a speeding chauffeur, who was found to be drunk. Diana, 36, Dodi al-Fayed, 42, and chauffeur Henri Paul were killed when their Mercedes car crashed in a road tunnel as they sped away from the Ritz Hotel in Paris, pursued by paparazzi on motorbikes. Britain had to wait for the French legal process to end and then for the British police investigation to run its course before the inquests into Diana's and Fayed's deaths could begin. The death of the popular Diana, "the people's princess", sparked off an unprecedented outpouring of grief from normally buttoned-up Britons. Up to 140 reporters from around the world have been accredited to attend the court and the jury have been promised police protection from the glare of media publicity. Under British law, an inquest is needed to determine the cause of death when someone dies unnaturally.

ITN Source | October 2, 2007

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