Diana-Dodi relationship 'had peaked'

Diana, Princess of Wales’s romance with Dodi Fayed appeared to have “peaked” days before the couple’s deaths, her former butler claimed today.

Paul Burrell told their inquest in London that he spoke to Diana while she was holidaying with Dodi on his father Mohamed al Fayed’s yacht, the 'Jonikal', when she seemed to be feeling “claustrophobic”.

He contrasted the whirlwind romance with her previous relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, which he said had been more long-term.

Mr Burrell does not believe that, as Mr al Fayed says, the couple were due to announce their engagement when they were killed in a car crash.

He told the inquest that he had spoken to Diana of how she appeared to be feeling quite “trapped”, with Dodi controlling her “every movement”.

He explained: “The Princess was by that time feeling claustrophobic. This was towards the end of the last holiday on the Jonikal and only days before her death.

“And in one of the last conversations, she said she was feeling claustrophobic... it was scorching hot on deck and freezing cold in the air conditioning (below) and she was looking forward to coming home.

“I felt she was telling me, she was inferring, that this relationship had reached its peak and it was going down the other side.

“Very often relationships did that in the Princess’s world.”

He added: “It was a very fast-moving relationship, it had a very short fuse, whereas the relationship before was a very long relationship.”