Diana inquest jury selection begins

LONDON: Jury selection in the Princess Diana inquest is due to begin on Thursday before the full hearing finally starts next week, 10 years after her death.   

The long-delayed inquest will investigate how Diana and Dodi Fayed died, along with their driver Henri Paul, when their car crashed in a Paris tunnel.   

The coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, will address potential jurors before they complete a questionnaire to gauge their eligibility.

The inquest is due to hear evidence relating to some of the most controversial aspects surrounding the couple, who died on Aug. 31, 1997, including allegations the late Princess was pregnant.   

The coroner and jury, who will travel to the crash scene, will also look into the embalming of her body and her post-mortem examination.

Previous hearings have heard that detailed questions will be asked about a box of letters belonging to Diana -- said to include one from the Duke of Edinburgh -- and the mystery about their whereabouts.   

Last December, a lengthy police investigation ruled that the crash was an accident and that the two were not the victims of an elaborate murder plot.   

A two-year French investigation had already reached the same conclusion.   

The inquest proper starts on Monday and is expected to last several months.