BRITAIN: An inquest into the death of Princess Diana in Paris in 1997 will be opened next month, the royal family's coroner said yesterday.
Mr Michael Burgess, coroner for Surrey, who is also responsible for inquests into royal deaths, said separate inquests for Diana, the former wife of Prince Charles, and her friend, Dodi Al Fayed, would begin on January 6th.
"At neither hearing will I be receiving any evidence from witnesses attending in person," Mr Burgess said in a statement.
"I will, however, make a statement which will cover such matters as the purpose of the inquests, how they may be expected to be conducted and the nature and scope of evidence that I expect to receive." Diana died alongside Dodi and their chauffeur Henri Paul when their Mercedes crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31st, 1997, as it sped away from the Ritz hotel.
It is hoped that the inquests, the first official public hearings into the deaths held in Britain, will shed some light on the events leading up to the crash.
An inquiry by French authorities in 1999 ruled that it was an accident caused by Paul being drunk and driving too fast.
Paris authorities say there are no plans to reopen the case there.
"The Diana dossier is definitely closed," a source said.
A spokesman for the royal family said the inquest was "entirely a matter for the coroner". He added: "We always understood the law required an inquest at some point."
Dodi's father, Harrods store owner Mr Mohammed Al Fayed, has repeatedly called for a British inquiry, insisting they were murdered by the British secret service.