French judges have blamed drunken chauffeur Mr Henri Paul for the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana and have dropped charges against paparazzi suspected of causing the high-speed crash in a Paris tunnel.
A Paris prosecutor's office statement yesterday said the two-year inquiry found that Mr Paul lost control of the speeding Mercedes-Benz limousine in which he, the princess and her companion, Mr Dodi Fayed, died because he was drunk and was taking anti-depressants.
It said the investigating magistrates, Mr Herve Stephan and Ms Marie-Christine Devidal, concluded the accident "was not the result of a voluntary act" - an apparent rebuff to the murder conspiracy theory put forward by Mr Fayed's father, Mr Mohamed al Fayed.
It also said Mr Dodi Fayed could not be criticised for calling in Mr Paul during off-duty hours to drive, a point stressed in recent British media speculation about the long-awaited ruling.
"The vehicle's driver was in a state of drunkenness, and under the influence of medication incompatible with alcohol, a state which prevented him from keeping control of his vehicle when he was driving at high speed," the judges said.
Referring to the nine photographers and one photo agency courier investigated for possible manslaughter in the case, they said the inquiry "did not establish definitely any fault that could be certainly liked with the accident".
An al Fayed spokesman said the millionaire Egyptian, owner of Harrods department store in London and the Paris Ritz Hotel where Mr Paul worked, still believed the princess and his son were murdered.
"There remain many, many unanswered questions," the spokesman, Mr Laurie Mayer, told Sky News. Mr al Fayed "still believes there was a conspiracy and he has the will and the resources to pursue this as long as it takes".
In Paris, Mr al Fayed's French lawyer, Mr Georges Kiejman, said he would be appealing the findings. In contrast, the princess's brother, Earl Spencer - who in the past accused the media of hunting his sister to death - thanked the French judges and said he accepted their conclusions. A lawyer for Mr Trevor ReesJones, the only survivor of the crash, said the ruling was "excellent and wise".