Bodyguard: string of security hitches in Di’s last days

THE death of Diana, Princess of Wales, might have been prevented had Mohamed al-Fayed heeded pleas for more security, a key inquest witness suggested yesterday.

Bodyguard Kieran Wingfield, who quit his job on the Harrods tycoon’s security team rather than back his boss’s “conspiracy theories”, said he had not been “allowed” to do his job properly in the run-up to the tragedy.

He also told the Princess’s inquest in London:

That Mr al-Fayed began “ranting” and “swearing” when the bodyguard refused to go on television for an appearance he feared would fuel claims Diana was murdered.

That Mr al Fayed’s head of security had asked him to persuade Trevor Rees — the sole survivor of the crash — not to speak to police about it.

That the Harrods tycoon’s reaction to the news of the Princess’s death was to say: “I hope the British government and Prince Philip are happy now.”

That Dodi had told him the ill-fated decoy plan to leave the Ritz Hotel from the rear, with acting head of security Henri Paul at the wheel, had been personally approved by Mohamed al Fayed.

Mr Wingfield originally from Hull but now living in Jersey, is the only close witness to the key events leading up to car crash who was not killed or injured. He was with Diana and Dodi throughout their holiday on Mr al-Fayed’s yacht, the Jonikal, in the last week of August 1997.

Mr Wingfield was in another car at the time of the crash, as a “decoy” for the pursuing paparazzi.

He insisted he had told Mr al-Fayed in person that two security guards were not enough to protect the couple on the yacht but had been refused more.