THE fateful evening that was to end with the deaths of Diana and Mr Fayed in an horrific high-speed crash began at about 7pm, said Lord Justice Scott Baker.
It was then that the couple left the Ritz for Mr Fayed's apartment. At the same time, chauffeur Henri Paul went off duty. The coroner said: "There is a question mark about what he was doing between then and 10pm when he was back at the Ritz. One of t
he issues we shall be exploring is where was he and what was he doing during these three hours."
The inquest heard that Diana and Mr Fayed left the apartment at about 9.30pm, intending to dine at the Chez Benoit restaurant, but returned to the Ritz. The coroner said: "The reason is likely that at this time the paparazzi have become especially intrusive."
Diana and Mr Fayed remained at the Ritz until around 12.20am on August 31, when they left the hotel via the rear entrance on the Rue Cambon.
"It appears this was a subterfuge to put the paparazzi off the scent," said the coroner, and the car sped into the Pont d'Alma underpass at 60-65mph – twice the speed limit.
"In the underpass the car crashed into the 13th pillar. The effect of hitting the edge of pillar head-on was to stop the Mercedes immediately and bounce it back. Tremendous force was transmitted through the vehicle and its occupants."
He added: "You will have to consider whether the precise nature of the impact could ever have been planned in advance or orchestrated in any confidence."
Investigations by the French authorities showed paint marks and debris on the Mercedes were consistent with it coming into "glancing contact" with another car, likely to be a white Fiat Uno. "As the Mercedes approached the left hand bend before the underpass the driver needed to apply steering to the left, particularly to follow the line of the bend in the road. It's also quite possible to avoid a person or moving vehicle."
The car may have had to swerve to avoid the Fiat Uno, which it was suggested was also in the tunnel, but hit it, sending the Mercedes towards the centre kerb. The car swerved to the left, but the driver lost control and hit the kerb and pillar. Lord Justice Scott Baker told the jury there was a slip road close to the Champs Elysees that Mr Paul could have taken for Mr Fayed's apartment, which would have avoided the underpass.
The reason why he did not take this road was unclear, he said.
He added: "If he had taken the slip road then any conspiracy to murder in the tunnel would have been certain to fail."
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