Princess Diana Inquest Gets Another Hearing

An inquest into the death of Princess Diana will be heard by a jury. This news comes as Mohamed al-Fayed, the father of her late boyfriend Dodi Fayed, successfully challenged the coroner's ruling on who would hear the case. Al-Fayed, the owner of London's Harrods department store, brought the lawsuit after the presiding coroner stated in a ruling that she alone would hear the case. The High Court called the decision ``flawed.'' and overturned it.

The inquest was initially opened and adjourned in 2004 and has been delayed for almost 10 years pending the results of several French probes and a U.K. police investigation. The long-delayed inquiry is now scheduled to begin later this year. It will investigate the events leading up to the 1997 car crash in Paris that killed Diana, Dodi and their driver, Henri Paul.

Al-Fayed has unwaveringly claimed that the accident was a staged event by British intelligence services. He claims that the royal family was embarrassed about the couple's romance and that only a jury of ``ordinary'' men and women can fairly evaluate the case.

The British inquiry rejected a series of conspiracy theories in finding that Paul was drunk and speeding when he slammed into a pillar in Paris's Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Three of the four passengers on board were killed. Conspiracy theories abound regarding the death of Princess Diana and the two others in Paris on that fateful day. There are three main theories: The LondonNet website lists them and their plots as follows:

1. It was a faked death.

"Fed up with the constant intrusions into her private life by the media, Diana, helped by the huge resources of Dodi, arranges a spectacular 'death' from which she can retreat into blissful isolation."

2. MI6 Killed Diana.

"Rogue elements in the British secret service decide that Di is a threat to the throne, and therefore the stability of the state. They took her out."

3. The Target was Dodi.

"Business enemies of Dodi and his father Mohammed Al Fayed assassinate Dodi, with the death of Di a magnificent cover for their operation."

We may never know the full details of whether it was intentional or just simply an accident. In the same way that conspiracy theories surrounding Elvis, the Paul-Is-Dead rumors, the Apollo Moon Landings, the JFK assassination, and others continue after years of debate-so it will be with Diana. When someone is so beloved and lost, sometimes a simple explanation just will not satisfy.

One of Britain's most senior judges, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, has been appointed to the role of deputy coroner to hear the inquest. The next preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 5.