Diana Would Be Alive If Police Protection Retained

Close protection from British police officers would have prevented the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died after the car she was in crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in 1997.

Speaking at the princesses' inquest in London, Lord Condon, Britain's chief police officer when she died, said he had 'begged her' to reinstate her protection.

He has no doubt that Diana would still be alive today if she had retained her police protection, the former chief policeman said.

However, despite numerous meetings she had refused to change her mind.

He said: "If, as my wish, she would've had police protection in Paris, I'm absolutely convinced those three lives would not have been tragically lost.

"Her problem with protection was, sadly, that she did not have police protection. I wish she had," he added

The princess appeared not to trust the police - who she thought were spying on her - and had first indicated she wanted to have her protection removed, in December 1993.

The former Metropolitan Police commissioner said that a series of meetings had then taken place, up to January 1994, the court heard.

Lord Condon added he had attended a "critical" meeting on 14 December 1993, in which he had said he was "really concerned" the security was going to be removed.

The peer was himself involved in a serious accident the following day and then remained unavailable for about three and a half to four weeks.

He said: "I have often thought back, if that had not been the sequence of events I might have demanded face-to-face meetings with her. But I honestly don't think it would have changed her mind."

In October 1994, the princess asked London Met's head of royalty and diplomatic protection whether there was a device in her car or her phone calls were being monitored.

In the meeting with Deputy Assistant Commissioner David Meynell, she suggested police had been spying on her.

Michael Mansfield, QC counsel for Mohamed Al Fayed, said it seemed Diana did not trust the police.

Lord Condon said: "Clearly she had decided in her own mind, sadly, that the police, if they were on anyone's side, were not on her side.

"That was wrong, but I think it was a view that I think I would have found it very hard to change her mind about."

(BMcC)