Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of The Times
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Why is there an inquest into the death of Diana?
These inquests, there are two, one on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the other on the death of Dodi Fayed, must take place just as with any sudden, violent or unusual death of a person where the body is returned to Britain.
The purpose of the inquest is different from the inquiries that have already taken place. These looked into whether someone or some people were to blame for the couple's deaths - in other words, they investigated some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the car crash in Paris in which the princess and her companion died in 1997.
Unlike a trial, an inquest has no prosecution and no defence but is a search for truth along more inquisitorial lines. Its aim is to answer: how, when and where the cause of death arose. The conclusion of the jury at the end must be based on evidence as proved, not speculation.
What is happening this week?
The jurors will be selected today from a potential pool of some 200. They will be asked to fill in a questionnaire designed to establish their availability and also any prejudices or associations that might rule them out as suitable. A jury of 11 will be chosen. Historically coroners' juries can be between seven and 11 people. One of their first duties will be to undertake a visit to Paris, with the coroner, to inspect the site of the crash.
What happens next week?
The inquests proper will open next week. They actually began in 2004 after the end of inquiries by both French police and then, in Britain, under Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington; next week's inquests are the continuation of that process.
A series of preliminary hearings have been held in recent months to decide issues such as what evidence can be called, what witnesses will appear and the timetable.
How long will the inquests take and who will appear?
The inquest is likely to take at least six months. Members of the Royal Family will not appear but Princes William and Harry are represented. Other interested parties include Lady Sarah McCorquodale (one of the sisters of Diana, who represents the Spencer family), Mohamed Al Fayed (father of Dodi), the parents of Henri Paul (the chauffeur who also died in the crash) and the president of the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Unusually, the secret intelligence services as well as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office are also represented.
It is not clear yet how many witnesses will be called. Michael Mansfield, QC, for Mr Al Fayed has a list of some 68 witnesses he would like to attend but the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, is expected to allow closer to one dozen at most. It is within his discretion to decide who should be called. Witnesses can also be compelled to attend.
Some evidence will be heard via video-link from Paris.
Can the public attend the inquests?
There are 125 seats for members of the public, of which 25 will be in the actual court room, number 73, at the Royal Courts of Justice, where the inquest is being held. The rest will be in an overflow temporary court annexe, linked to the main courtroom by video-link. Seats will be on a first come, first served basis.
Will some evidence be heard behind closed doors?
It is possible that the coroner will determine that some evidence should be heard in camera on grounds of national security. This could relate to any surveillance operations of the intelligence services.
Will this inquest draw a line under speculation surrounding the couple's deaths?
This is the wish of the Royal Family and, it is said, in particular the two princes. But the conspiracy theories are unlikely ever to be completely laid to rest.
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I view the conspiracy theory as there were to many things going on & around them both at that time...
She rang a close friend saying she had wonderful news & a big surprise a couple on days before the crash..
Dodi had bee seen in a nearby Jewellers & had order a ring for someone ...
Dodi had rang his father saying he was going to propose that last night , & leave the ring under her pillow..
There was reports that she was looking to move to maybe New York , or abroad where she would have more freedom ..
Why were they delayed from leaving the Ritz, until Henri Paul was called in when he was off duty , there would have been a second driver ready , how did they get to the Ritz safely and with little fuss..
They could have stayed at the Ritz that night , if it was such of a pandamonium at that time ...
Certain people in the upper ranks had made a lot of comments over the past months about her being a loose cannon , and what will she do next..
S. D , s/e, uk
This inquest is costing us taxpayers £10 million and the conspiracy theorists are onFayed's side just to get back at the RF.Fayed has stated he is satisfied the jury will reach the right verdict,I wonder if he will change his mind given that the only proper verdict will be accidental,due to there being no proof that it was anything other than that.
elizabeth, sussex,
Inquest! Ha, ha .... A waste of time and taxpayers' money. The result will be exactly how it is SUPPOSED to be, that is, yet another white wash. In 10 years of inquiries and inquests, the name of Rhys-Jones, the only survivor, and normally the strongest witness, never came up. Normally somebody like that would have been the darling of talk shows, panel discussions, would have given thousands of newspaper, tabloid, and magazine interviews, written a book. Instead, he conveniently disappeared. Inquest? LOL
Joyce, New York, USA
If the inquest shows that,had Diana been wearing a seat
belt she would probably not have died ,some good may
have been done.
Neville Seymour, Plymouth, UK
do UK taxpayers have to foot the bill?
m hammond, london,
Alan of Whitby it is you who need a reality check,read your history of royals...
M Bantges, Lincoln, uk
The murder theorists really need to get a reality check. If one were to want to murder someone, they would hardly pick the uncertainty of a car crash, in a tunnel, in one of the safest cars in the world. As it was Diana wasn't dead when the services got to the scene of the crash, she didn't die until some time later.
No Sir, if you wanted to murder someone that would not be the way to do it, too many variants, too much to go wrong, far, far too messy, professional hit-men have more pride than to leave a "job" only half done. Sorry, but there is and never was any conspiracies, it's a shame, but as the man said, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
It's simple, Car enters tunnel going to fast, driver had a couple of drinks, not drunk, but loses control of big powerful car. Car hits column with tremendous force, occupants fatally injured or died instantly. Amen.
Alan, Whitby, UK
If Diana was murdered, then a pregnancy to a Muslim would certainly produce a motive. The swimsuit photo, taken before her relationship with Dodi began, suggests an abdominal bulge, which if a sign of pregnancy, could have been related to her previous love affair with the doctor. If true, and if Dodi knew of it and loved Diana, he would not be the first man to offer a beautiful, charming princess a father to her child in a traditional marriage, and most of the world would have been happy with that result, with the exception of the older members of the Royal family. Clearly, Dodi would have to have been murdered too, since he could have revealed this truth to the world if she had been killed and he left alive. Continuing to order contraceptives would not prove she was using them. There will be no hope of a reliable outcome from this inquest unless the truth of her pregnancy or otherwise is established beyond doubt, and perhaps only an exhuimation would do that.
david, Sydney, Australia
Frances
What evidence can be called...everything?
Has anything been denied to be tabled?
I'm very interested in whether Andanson's car was usually parked where it could be seen from neighbouring properties, yet no investigation was done. Given that his wife said he and the car were there and his son said the opposite I'd love to know whether the inconsistencies in the Andanson evidence are going to be examined or not? there was a lot that was fishy about evidence surrounding this man.
cathy, NSW, Australia
Lets hope they cover why it took ten years, three coroners, and attempt to ban a jury before this "simple" drink drive death reached the inquest stage. The questions need to be covered before the results of the inquest can be trusted.
Dennis, London,
Let them both rest in peace. After all these years there must be hundreds of people (like myself) who are tired of this, Nothing will bring them back.
PAULINE, SHOALHAVEN HEADS, AUSTRALIA
It sounds to me that the powers that be are being very selective
which will result in yet another white wash. Approx six weeks ago a lady who lives in Woolton Liverpool phone Radio Merseyside Phone in, and claimed that she and her friends witness the murder of the people involved, because she was returning home from a holiday in Paris, and was a few cars behind, when a motor bike rider driving at high speed deliberately clashed with the driver sending him into the concrete pillar and then drove on at great speed. She also said that they intended to help but a number of other drivers had already done so. To my knowledge I have never heard this account of the incident.
Raymond Ashley, Burtonwood, Warrington Cheshire
Actually conpiracy theories will always abound where Royals are concerned, like it or not. It goes with the territory.
Dan White, Albuquerque, New Mexico