Diana's former butler to be called as 'key' witness at inquest

LONDON: Princess Diana's former butler will soon be called as a 'key' witness at her inquest, according to a leading British daily.

Detectives have contacted Paul Burrell and urged him to re-examine the statement he gave to a police inquiry into the Paris car crash in which Diana was killed alongside her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed ten years back.

Confirming this, Burrell's spokesman Steve Dennis told the 'Daily Mail': "He is prepared to help the Coroner (Lord Justice Scott Baker) in any way that is needed."

At the centre of Burrell's evidence will be his claim that the Queen had warned him there were "dark forces" at work in Britain and a note given to him by the Princess in which she wrote: "My husband is planning an accident in my car".

The news followed recent media reports that Dodi's father Mohammed Al-Fayed has been planning to force the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince Philip to testify at the inquest.

According to a report published recently in 'The Daily Telegraph', lawyers, acting for the Harrods boss, have already submitted a written request to the Coroner asking for the three members of the Royal Family to be called as witnesses at the hearing which starts on Tuesday.

Fayed insists they all possess information relevant either to the deaths of Diana and Dodi, or to the Princess of Wales' state of mind at the time. He suspects the couple were murdered because they were set to get married.

Fayed's 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.

Fayed's lawyers will also press for the controversial 'Squidgygate' tapes to be played to the inquest. 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'.

According to another report published recently by 'The Times', the total cost of the inquest could top ten million pounds -- most of which will be borne by British taxpayers.

These include a jury protection service, with daily police escorts to and from 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 inquest is expected to last at least six months and will engage the services of seven Queen's Counsel and more than a dozen other barristers and solicitors.