Diana And Dodi 'Murdered', Al Fayed Claims

Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed were murdered, Mohamed Al Fayed has told the inquest into their deaths.

The Harrods boss - Dodi's father - told the inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice, that there was a plot to have the Princess killed, in order for Prince Charles to be able to marry Camillla Parker-Bowles.

During his testimony, Mr Al Fayed claimed that a number of people including Prince Charles, Prince Philip, Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale, her brother-in-law Sir Robert Fellowes and Sir Michael Jay, the then British ambassador to France, were all involved in the alleged plot, which, he said, was organised by MI6 because the royal family did not want Diana to marry a Muslim.

Giving evidence to the inquest, Mr Al Fayed branded the Duke of Edinburgh a "Nazi" and a "racist" and alleged that Diana told him that she was pregnant and engaged to Dodi during a telephone call.

Mr Al Fayed also raised concerns about a note written by Lord Mischon, Diana's divorce lawyer, which outlined the Princess's fears that there was a plot to have her killed in a car crash.

Lord Mischon passed on the note to police in 1997, after the Princess and Dodi were killed in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, along with their driver Henri Paul.

However, Mr Al Fayed said that neither of the former Metropolitan Police Commissioners, Sir Paul Condon and Sir John Stevens, had given the note to the coroner.

The note was only handed to the coroner when Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, produced a note from the Princess making similar allegations in October 2003.

Speaking about Mr Burrell, Mr Al Fayed accused him of "talking about baloney things" during his evidence and said that he should be brought back.

He also held up a copy of Monday's copy of 'The Sun', which contained claims that the butler had said that he had not told the whole truth to the inquest.

Later, Lord Justice Scott Baker said that this was being investigated and said that he had called for the newspaper's tape and would want to know how it was obtained.

Mr Al Fayed also said that he believed that the murder was carried out by paparazzi photographer James Andanson, who has since died, killed on the orders of security services.

He also claimed that blood samples, which were apparently taken from the allegedly drunk driver Henri Paul, were not actually his.

The inquest continues.

(KMcA)