08/01/2007

Royal jury rejected for Diana inquest

The coroner at the inquest into the death of Princess Diana has said that she wants the jury to be made up of members of the public and not from the Royal Household.

Speaking during a preliminary hearing at the High Court, Lady Butler-Sloss said that having a panel comprised of people from the Royal Household would be "inappropriate".

In a written submission to the court, the Queen's lawyer Sir John Nutting QC said that the use of a public jury would avoid any "appearance of bias".

Lady Butler-Sloss also said that she would want to hold a joint inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed, because separate inquests would be "unbelievably expensive", as well as upsetting for both families.

Lady Butler-Sloss also offered her "deepest sympathies" to the relatives and friends of those who died in the crash in 1997.

The High Court will decide on whether a joint inquest will be held and whether a public jury will be used.

Princess Diana, Mr Fayed and driver Henri Paul were killed in the car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997.

Last month, an investigation into the deaths, conducted by the Metropolitan Police and led by former commissioner Lord Stevens, concluded that the crash was nothing more than a tragic accident.

(KMcA)


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