The inquest into the car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales and her companion Dodi Fayed began in London on Tuesday, with the aim of finally determining the truth about what led to their deaths in a Paris tunnel 10 years ago.
An 11-member jury of six women and five men will hear evidence from a number of witnesses to determine what caused the deaths of Diana and Fayed. The inquest is expected to last six months.
Previous investigations have determined they died in an ordinary car crash, but that has done little to dispel conspiracy theories -- some even implicating the Royal Family.
The inquest is not a criminal trial and the verdict must not identify anyone as having criminal or civil liability.
"What the coroner will be looking at here is to determine what is relevant, what is evidence as distinct from speculation and I think this is very, very important," Ken Wharfe, a former bodyguard for the Princess of Wales, told CTV's Canada AM.
The jury will be taken to the scene of the crash in Paris and will then return to London next Wednesday to begin hearing evidence from witnesses.
In cases where there is a violent or unnatural death an inquest must be held under British law. If the person dies abroad and their body has been returned to Britain, an inquest must also be performed.
But an inquest had yet to be completed in Britain because authorities were waiting until French legal proceedings had been completed.
Investigations held in France and Britain have concluded that the crash was an accident and the driver, Henri Paul, who was also killed, was intoxicated at the time.
Mohammed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed, is one of the "interested parties" at the inquest and will be able to explore the conspiracy theories surrounding the inquest.
"I believe my son and Princess Diana have been murdered by the royal family," al Fayed said outside the court Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
Fayed would like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles to testify as part of the inquest proceedings, however this is unlikely to happen.
Wharfe said that Fayed may actually be concerned about scrutiny about his own role on the night of the crash on August 31, 1997.
"What Fayed himself may be concerned about (is) if any criticism is leveled at perhaps the security," Wharfe said.
While the aim of the inquest is to finally determine the cause of the crash, Wharfe said he did not expect any new information to emerge and that rumours and conspiracy theories around the incident will continue to persist.
"Whatever the result I think the whole Diana issue is going to linger with us for some years to come," Wharfe said. "And I do think the conspiracy theories, rightly or wrongly, will be perpetuated by Mohamed al Fayed until such time that it dies of its own natural death, but I don't think it's going to die away in the near future."
With files from The Associated Press
