Al Fayed presents claim of murder plot at Diana inquest

Mohamed Al Fayed on Monday told a British inquest into the 1997 deaths of his son Dodi and the Princess of Wales why he believes the two were murdered.

Among the facts that Al Fayed said backed his murder plot theory was a lawyer's note that gathered dust in police files for six years.

The note, written by Diana's divorce lawyer, Lord Mishcon, details a conversation with Diana in 1995 in which she expressed fears she would be targeted for assassination in a motor vehicle accident.

Diana, Dodi Al Fayed and their driver died Aug. 31, 1997, in a Paris car crash.

Mishcon handed the note over to police when the Princess died. But police didn't present the note to the coroner until in 2003 when Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, gave a note with similar allegations to a newspaper.

Al Fayed said the delay confirms his belief that "my son and Princess Diana were murdered."

He also raised concerns about a wooden box Diana told him she had that contained proof her life was in danger.

She told Al Fayed to "make sure that the contents of this box were made public," he said.

The box allegedly contained letters from Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, to Diana, but have gone missing.

Prince Philip a 'racist': Al Fayed

Al Fayed has long maintained the death of Diana and his son was the result of a murder plot involving British secret service and Prince Philip.

In Monday's testimony, Al Fayed lashed out at Philip, calling him a "racist" who didn't want Diana to marry an Arab and a Muslim.

He also said Prince Philip should go "back to Germany," a reference to his German ancestors.

When a lawyer for the coroner asked Al Fayed whether his conspiracy allegations stem from his belief that "Prince Philip is not only a racist but a Nazi as well," Al Fayed responded, "Absolutely."

In Al Fayed's lengthy statement, he also disputed evidence that the driver, Henri Paul, who also died in the crash, was drunk and accused him of also being a part of the murder plot.

"When he was killed, they find 20,000 francs in his pocket, because he disappeared three hours before the murder being briefed on what to do," Al Fayed said.

He also said Diana told him on the telephone that she was pregnant and that she and Dodi planned to announce their engagement.

"Diana told me on the telephone that she was pregnant," he said. "I was the only person that they [Dodi and Diana] told."

The inquest began in October after a 10-year delay due to exhaustive investigations by French and British police. The two forces concluded that the crash was an accident and that the driver was drunk and speeding.