The father of Princess Diana’s dead lover welcomed the news on Wednesday that fresh witnesses and evidence have been found as part of a probe into the car crash that killed the couple in Paris in 1997.
Mohammed al-Fayed, owner of the world-famous Harrods department store, also said he hoped Sir John Stevens, a former top police officer who is leading the investigation, would continue his work until he found “the truth”.
The comments came after Stevens was quoted by a number of British newspapers as saying: “We have new witnesses. We have new forensic evidence. I can’t tell you who the new witnesses are.”
The Harrods tycoon, who insists the death of his son and Diana was not a tragic accident, said he was encouraged by Stevens’s words.
He added in a statement: “I am optimistic that he will not be bullied by the intelligence services whom I believe executed my son, Dodi, and Diana.
“Lord Stevens is a man of conscience and great integrity. He is doing it not just for a father who lost his son but for the British public who wholeheartedly support my quest for the truth.”
Almost nine years after her death, speculation continues that Princess of Wales was not killed as the result of a straightforward car accident.
The British probe was ordered in 2004 by the royal coroner, Michael Burgess, amid continuing conspiracy theories.
But Stevens — who is promoting his autobiography — assured his audience at a literary festival, sponsored by The Guardian, where he made the comments that “each and every conspiracy theory” is being investigated.
“We will go where the evidence takes us and I intend to finish the job. It is a complex business and it is taking time,” he added.
The Guardian newspaper said Stevens, the former head of London’s Metropolitan Police, met with al-Fayed every two months.
Diana married Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, in 1981 but the pair separated 11 years later. She was killed with Dodi al-Fayed and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, on August 31 1997.
A two-year French investigation blamed Paul for losing control of the car because he was high on drink and prescription drugs and driving too fast. — AFP