Formal Diana inquest opens
2004-01-06 14:33
London - Britain's first formal inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed opened on Tuesday - a case in which some see a sinister conspiracy but one of Diana's bodyguards dismisses as a "mundane road traffic accident".
Royal coroner Michael Burgess, signaling a broad probe into the deaths, said he had asked London's Metropolitan Police to investigate whether conspiracy theories should be part of the inquest. Burgess then adjourned the case, saying it likely would reopen early next year.
"I'm aware that there is speculation that these deaths were not the result of a sad but relatively straightforward road traffic accident in Paris," Burgess said.
"I have asked the Metropolitan Police Commissioner (Sir John Stevens) to make inquiries. The results of these inquiries will help me to decide whether such matters will fall within the scope of the investigation carried out at the inquests," he said.
- SAPA