Judge to lead inquest into Diana and Dodi

Published on Sunday 3 September 2006 00:07

SENIOR judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss is set to preside over the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed.

Butler-Sloss, 73, has been recommended for the role after the coroner of the Queen's Household, Michael Burgess, stepped down from the task in July. Burgess, who is also coroner for Surrey, blamed a "heavy and constant" workload for the decision to pull out.

Butler-Sloss's appointment had not been officially confirmed, but a senior government official was yesterday quoted as saying that only a few formalities remained to be completed.

When Burgess withdrew, he asked the Lord Chancellor "to nominate a suitable senior judicial figure to be appointed as deputy to hear these two cases".

Butler-Sloss, who refused to comment yesterday, will await the official report into the deaths which is being conducted by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens.

In May, Stevens said fresh witnesses and forensic evidence had been gathered, having earlier indicated the inquiry into the death of Diana was "far more complex than any of us thought".

Diana, 36, and Dodi, 42, were killed along with chauffeur Henri Paul when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997.

They were pursued by paparazzi photographers after leaving the Ritz Hotel for Fayed's apartment.

A two-year investigation in France blamed Paul for losing control of the car because he was high on drink and prescription drugs and driving too fast.

Renowned for her no-nonsense approach, Butler-Sloss retired last year as president of the High Court family division - a post she held for six years. She was the first woman to break into the judicial elite when she was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1988.

She retired after 35 years of being a judge and is widely regarded as being responsible for opening up the judicial system to women.