Princes William and Harry are hoping today that the long-awaited conclusion of the inquest into their mother’s death will put an end to speculation she was murdered.

The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, faced double uncertainty tonight after a legal challenge reignited the row over paparazzi witnesses and strikes in France threatened to cripple proceedings.

Evidence that Diana, Princess of Wales’s driver had been drinking is not necessarily “relevant” to the cause of the crash which killed her, an expert claimed today.