Inquests Into Deaths Of Diana, Dodi To Be Held In January

BBC Thursday 18th December, 2003

The inquests into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed will be opened on Tuesday, 6 January 2004, it has been announced.

Princess Diana, 36, and Mr Al Fayed, 42, died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

Surrey Coroner Michael Burgess said the "complexity of the situation" meant it had taken over a year to set a date.

Princess Diana's inquest will be held in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, while Mr Al Fayed's will open in Reigate, Surrey.

He said he had been in touch with both the Royal Family and the relatives of Mr Al Fayed to advise them of the date.

He said there would not be witnesses on the opening day but he would outline the procedure of the inquest and the nature and scope of evidence he expected to be brought.

There will be two separate inquests.

Dodi's father, Harrods-owner Mohamed Al Fayed, welcomed the news, but said he would continue to call for a full public inquiry into the crash.

The inquest into the death of the princess will be conducted by Mr Burgess, as coroner of The Queen's Household, at 1030 GMT.

Mr Al Fayed's will also be opened by Mr Burgess in his capacity as Coroner for Surrey, at 1500 GMT at Wray Park, Reigate, Surrey.

"I am pleased to confirm that I will be opening inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed on Tuesday, 6 January, 2004," said Mr Burgess.

"I stated in October 2003 that I intended to hold inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed.

"The opening of these inquests has been the subject of discussion and correspondence with the families for some time but because of the complexity of the situation the final arrangements have taken rather longer to complete than I would have wished."

Inquiry call

On news of the announcement, a Clarence House spokesman said: "It's entirely a matter for the coroner.

"We always understood the law required an inquest at some point."

The inquests will be the first official public hearings in Britain to examine the circumstances surrounding the Princess's death.

They have been delayed by a lengthy police investigation and other factors.

Both hearings are likely to be adjourned and no date has yet been given for when the full hearings will take place.

Mohamed Al Fayed does not accept the official report in 1999 into the crash which blamed the couple's driver Henri Paul, who had been drinking.

He approached the Scottish courts this week to mount a legal argument for a public inquiry into their deaths.

A spokesman said on Thursday that Mr Al Fayed was "encouraged" by the development.

"Mr Al Fayed continues to seek for a public inquiry into the death of his son as he believes the circumstances of the Paris crash require investigation beyond the remit of a coroner."