Al-Fayed wants Queen to testify at Diana inquest

Lawyers, acting for the Harrods boss, have already submitted a written request to Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker asking for the three members of the Royal Family to be called as witnesses at the hearing which starts on Tuesday, The Sunday Telegraph reported here today.

Fayed believes they all possess information relevant either to the deaths of Diana and Dodi in 1997, or to the Princess’ state of mind at the time. He suspects the couple were murdered because they were set to get married, a view fiercely contested by the Princess’ friends.

His legal team will also press the Coroner to summon Sir John Scarlett, the chief of MI6, as a witness. They want him to explain why MI6 destroyed a secret document that Fayed claims was relevant to Diana’s death.

The document allegedly outlined plans to assassinate Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav President. Fayed claims this abortive plot was used as a template by agents of MI6 to cause the Paris car crash.The allegation about the document will be put by his legal team, headed by Michael Mansfield, and is central to Fayed’s claim that Diana, Dodi and their driver Henri Paul died in an MI6 plot commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh.

This was a recording of a 1989 telephone conversation between Diana and James Gilbey, her close friend, in which the latter referred to the Princess of Wales as ‘Squidgy’.

The team also hopes to question Diana’s sister Sarah McCorquodale and Paul Burrell, her former butler, over the ‘crown jewels’ — a missing mahogany box supposedly containing sensitive documents, including letters sent to the Princess of Wales by Prince Philip.

According to The Sunday Times, the total cost of the inquest could top ten million pounds. These include a jury protection service, with daily police escorts to the Royal Courts of Justice in London; video links for French witnesses; and a two-day trip to Paris by the jury — altogether 50 people connected with the inquests will be flown over and given hotel accommodation.

The inquests into Pricess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed could cost over 10 million pounds including more than 2.7 million pounds in legal fees.

... contd.