Diana inquest reopens, judge rules out royal jury

Should a jury convene to hear the inquest into the 1997 death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it will be made up of the general public not members of the royal household, the judge presiding over the high-profile proceedings ruled Monday.

Although Diana's royal burial would normally mean members of theroyal householdwould sit on an inquest jury, the Queen's lawyer Sir John Nutting wrote a letter to the court urgingfor a public jury "to avoid any appearance of bias."

Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, a retired senior judge and member of the House of Lords, agreed.

Much had been made about elaborate murder plots by the Royal family to kill Diana and her friend Dodi al Fayed in the years since the pair died in a Paris car crash while outrunning the paparazzi. Fayed's father, Mohamed al Fayed, pointed the finger at the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, for orchestrating their deaths, but a police inquiry published in December 2006 concluded there was no conspiracy and that the deaths were accidental.

Joint hearings

Rather than give rise to the possibility of claims of bias, the Queen's lawyer sided with Mohamed al Fayed in urgingfor a public jury.

Butler-Slossalso ruled the preliminary hearings would be heard in public because of the overwhelming public interest in the case, and that there would be joint hearings to examine the deaths of both Diana and Fayed, in order to control costs and make the process less distressing for the family members involved.

As the inquest resumed Monday, Princes William and Harry made their own plea for a swift and fair inquest. "It is their desire that the inquest should not only be open, fair and transparent but that it should move swiftly to a conclusion," stated a letter from the princes' private secretary, which was read at the opening session.

Inquest comes as paparazzi hound Kate Middleton

The timing of the inquest also coincides with mounting media interest in Prince William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton. At this stage in their courtship, with speculation of a looming engagement, the public has noted parallels between Diana's experiences and the attention Middleton is now receiving from the press.

While Middleton's security entourage has been upgraded, there are reports the prince is taking steps through the Royal family lawyers to complain about overbearing paparazzi to the British Press Complaints Commission.

Hope to settle 'this sad matter'

The Diana inquest began three years ago. French and British authorities have already declared the deaths a tragic accident, but a formal inquest is required by law when someone dies unexpectedly, violently, or of unknown causes.

Diana's former private secretary, Patrick Jephson, said Monday that he hoped thehearings would put an end to conspiracy theories.

"At its best the inquest will show us that this sad matter is now settled and that we can concentrate on remembering the princess in an entirely positive light as Princes William and Harry obviously want us to," Jephson told the BBC.