Diana letter spurs Al-Fayed to renew demand for crash probe

MOHAMED al Fayed last night renewed his call for a public inquiry into the death of his son Dodi and Princess Diana.

Mr al Fayed’s move follows a new claim by Diana’s former butler, Paul Burrell, that the troubled princess wrote to him alleging a plot to tamper with the brakes of her car and cause a crash.

Mr al Fayed, millionaire owner of Harrods department store, issued a lengthy statement saying Mr Burrell’s revelation confirmed his suspicions that Diana had been murdered.

He called on Prime Minister Tony Blair to hold a public inquiry or stand accused of colluding in a cover-up.

Mr Burrell should give evidence to the inquiry and reveal all he knows, said Mr al Fayed.

His statement read: “The publication by Paul Burrell of a letter written to him by Diana, Princess of Wales, declaring that someone was ’planning an accident in my car, brake failure and serious head injury’, confirms the suspicions I have so often voiced in public and which have thus far been ignored.

“I’m disappointed that it has taken Burrell six years to reveal this extraordinary correspondence and it raises questions as to what other important secrets he may be harbouring.”

Mr al Fayed claimed that the former Royal butler may have withheld “this vital evidence” because of threats from the royal household.

The statement continued: “In what must now be seen as a cynical attempt to silence him, Paul Burrell was prosecuted in the criminal courts, but the bungled move has simply served to highlight the involvement of the royal household in the strange circumstances surrounding Diana’s death.

“During the investigation which led to that failed prosecution, Scotland Yard acquired a mass of explosive evidence from Burrell in the form of letters, tapes and videotapes which again has not seen the light of day.

“It is extraordinary that Paul Burrell did not volunteer this evidence in time for the French investigation into the crash, but it is now vital that he be called to give evidence in an independent public inquiry.

“It is his civic duty now to tell all that he knows about the involvement of others, including the security services, in this conspiracy.

“Several years ago I made a personal appeal to the Prime Minister Tony Blair for a public inquiry. I met him and delivered a two-page letter setting out the reasons for such an investigation.

“My pleas fell on deaf ears and my request was refused without reason. Mr Blair must now accept that the time is right for a full public inquiry. Further delay will look as though he is colluding in a cover-up and the people of this country will not tolerate that.”