Burrell to resume giving evidence at Diana inquest

Diana, Princess of Wales’ former butler will continue giving evidence at her inquest today as her ex-lover Hasnat Khan said he hopes it will bring an end to speculation surrounding her death.

Paul Burrell’s eagerly anticipated testimony has revealed details of the intimate relationship Diana shared with heart specialist Mr Khan.

And he has told how the relationship sparked friction with her mother Frances Shand Kydd after she branded Diana a “whore” for dating Muslim men.

Mr Burrell, 49, who has flown in from the US to give evidence, told the court how Diana had made inquiries about a marriage to Mr Khan.

He recounted how he had approached his local Carmelite priest Father Anthony Parsons in Kensington to ask about arranging a “private” wedding between a Christian and a Muslim.

He said Mr Khan had been introduced to Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, and had become part of the “fixtures and fittings” at the Palace.

“She did ask me if it would be possible to arrange a private marriage between her and Mr Hasnat Khan so I thought the first person I should really consult would be my parish priest,” he said.

He added: “The Princess said that this was her soulmate, this was the man she loved more than any other and it was a very deep spiritual relationship.

“I witnessed it at first hand and they were very much in love.”

But under cross-examination by Michael Mansfield QC, for Mohamed al Fayed, he said Diana’s relationships had sparked a rift with her mother.

Mr Burrell said he had been asked to listen in on two telephone calls she had with her mother, who died in 2004.

Although initially reluctant to speak of the matter he eventually told the court: “She called the Princess a whore and she said that she was messing around with ’effing Muslim men’ and she was disgraceful and said some very nasty things.”

Mr Burrell’s evidence came as Mr Khan broke his 10-year silence to reveal details about his relationship with Diana.

In an exclusive broadcast interview with ITV News At Ten last night, the heart specialist said it was important that the inquest, currently being heard at the High Court in London, marks an end to the speculation surrounding the Princess’s death in August 1997.

He said: “I hope it settles all the questions which have been asked.

“For me, I think it’s important that this is the end of it, and that people can move on.”

In interviews with The Mail on Sunday and The Sunday Telegraph, Dr Khan revealed that Diana’s death continued to haunt him, making him want to scream at times.

He told the Mail on Sunday: “Sometimes I feel like screaming. There have been very bad times.

“I have moved on, but it keeps coming back.”

But he said he was unlikely to attend the inquest unless obliged to.

Mr Burrell’s testimony was due to last just one day, but confusion over the whereabouts and even existence of Mr Burrell’s journal and other documents has meant he has been called back to give evidence today.

Mr Burrell had told the court he had kept a journal or diary during his time with the Princess but was reluctant to hand it over to the coroner.

While he said he was happy for him to look at letters written to him by the Princess, he said his journal and diary were “very private and very personal” and he did not think they had any connection to the circumstance surrounding the Princess’s death.

He was told by the coroner to “hot-foot” it overnight from London to his UK home in Cheshire to retrieve the material he was openly reluctant to produce.

In the early hours Mr Burrell arrived at his home and spent 50 minutes gathering documents.

Outside he said he could not comment about the nature of the documents or anything to do with the inquest because he is still on oath.

Asked if he was looking forward to giving evidence for a second day he said: “No.”

Mr Burrell’s evidence has already delivered a series of devastating blows to Mohamed al Fayed’s theory that Diana, and his son Dodi Fayed, were murdered.

The Harrods owner believes his son Dodi and Diana’s fatal car crash in Paris on August 31 1997 was the result of a plot to stop them marrying, instigated by Prince Philip.

But Mr Burrell insisted it was “impossible” that the couple had been murdered on the orders of a member the Royal Family:

:: He said that there had been no mention of the couple getting engaged and said that Dodi was not “the one”.

:: Diana had been on good terms with the Duke of Edinburgh who he said was “fond” of her as well as her ex-husband the Prince of Wales by the end of her life.

:: He also said Diana had been on the contraceptive pill.