Princess Diana's Inquest Postponed

Originally Scheduled To Begin In May, Hearing Will Now Begin In October

(AP)  The inquest into the deaths of Princes Diana and Dodi Fayed will be postponed until October, more than a decade after the couple died in a Paris car crash, a coroner said Tuesday.

The long-awaited inquest had originally been scheduled to begin in May. But Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, a retired judge who is overseeing the hearings, decided that they will begin "on or about" Oct. 1. It is expected to last at least four months, but could stretch to double that.

At a procedural hearing Monday, lawyers for Fayed's father, Harrods department store owner Mohamed al Fayed, argued that they needed more time to gather experts and documentation. Lawyers for the family of chauffeur Henri Paul backed up the request, which was initially resisted by Butler-Sloss.

---

Photos: Diana's Majestic Wedding"

Photos: Diana's Death: Looking Back

---

"I would be very sad if I was obliged to delay the start of the main proceedings for another six months," she said. "I feel that would be very, very hard on the families."

Michael Mansfield, who represents al Fayed, called the delay "a pebble on the beach" compared to the 10-year wait to begin hearing evidence. He also said Diana's ex-husband, Prince Charles, and Prince Philip should be called to give evidence.

Diana, 36, and Fayed, 42, were killed along with chauffeur Paul when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel Aug. 31, 1997. The only survivor, bodyguard Trevor Rees — formerly known as Rees-Jones — was badly hurt.

A French investigation ruled that Paul was drunk and in his efforts to evade photographers, lost control of their car, which careened into a column in a tunnel.

The inquest could begin only after the investigations into the deaths were complete. A two-year French investigation, a three-year Metropolitan Police inquiry in Britain and repeated legal action by al Fayed have delayed the inquest.

[gaye5]

I do not believe that the driver was drunk. Common sense tells us that the other intellegent people in the car, would allow a very drunk person to drive them to where ever they were going. If he was that drunk, it would have been obvious to all around that he couldnt drive, so where are the witnesses, so far we dont seem to have heard of any...
Much and all as I feel that poor Prince Charles is a fool, I dont believe that prince Charles and Prince Philip had anything to do with it..but I do believe that it was deliberate, and we will never know the truth... If it was deliberate the people who planned this will make sure that witnesses are silenced, and or that they covered up their tracks very well...There are just too many holes in this for it to not be deliberate.

[ajaxrose1]

So this is Purgatory.

[cmp271]

I agree with Dodi's father. Only time will unravel the truth, and truth cannot be told while the present regime is on the throne. Besides, think how it would make those boys feel to know their Mother was the target of a conspiracy to destroy her by the powers that be-their own gran and Dad. She had to be gotten out of the way.

No way should that man have been allowed to drive drunk, only someone who knew it was their possible last drive would do such a thing to the people he was meant to serve. Does the Crown really think the public can't surmise things for themselves?