Diana Inquest: Dodi's Assistant - 'Princess Feared Royal Murder Plot'
Written by Joanne Leyland
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
A
day after Mohamed Al Fayed failed to deliver any solid evidence of a plot to
murder Diana, Princess of Wales, an assistant to Dodi Fayed has now told the
inquest into the couple’s deaths that the princess voiced her fears over her safety to her film
producer boyfriend.
Giving evidence to the High Court as the official British inquest enters its final stages ahead
of a conclusion at approximately Easter, Melissa Henning was cross-examined
about her original witness statement in which she revealed how Dodi had spoken
of Diana’s fear that she would be assassinated.
According to Ms Henning, who worked as Dodi’s personal assistant in the US: “He told me that
Diana was very, very concerned for personal safety. She and Dodi had discussed
this several times. She felt that her family, former family...".
At this point, Jonathan Hough QC, representing the Coroner, interjected to
clarify to which family the witness was referring – the Royal or Spencer family.
Continued Miss Henning: "The Royal Family, yes - did not want her around anymore.
She felt she was a threat to them and they would like to perhaps not have her
around."
Asked to specify the nature of the threat Diana felt surrounded her movements,
the witness told the court: "She felt it would be an accident and that it would
happen only when the boys [Prince William and Prince Harry] were not with her
because the boys would never be harmed."
"I at first received the information with quite a bit of scepticism and thought
Dodi perhaps was being a little paranoid. However, he seemed to believe this as well at that point. They had obviously
discussed it quite at length to come up with this and for Dodi to believe so
deeply that this could be a real concern for them."
The inquest has previously heard how Dodi implemented what was to prove
to be a fatal plan, devised by himself and his father, to outwit the
paparazzi by departing the Ritz hotel via a rear exist with no back-up
car or extra security in place for the journey to his Paris flat.
Comment: If the establishment had done as they should, over a decade ago, and had an inquest into the death of a British subject who died abroad, a mother of a future King, we wouldn't be sitting here right now discussing the hysterical grief of a guilt ridden old man.
Name: exploora
Comment: No disrespect intended, possibly Dr. Kahn was a little bit more intellectual, and realized what it would be like, especially if they did have kids, and just gave up on it.
Well that is probably what people often do, just give up on what might have been a successful relationship otherwise. Which must have been heartbreaking for Di, and obviously for Mr. Al Fayed.
And for people who write and read about it.
Giving up in not what Mr. AlFayed does, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it probably does damage a person. They should have done this enquiry years ago, so it could have been forgotten by now.
Name: Kate
Comment: You are sooo correct, Exploora, about lives at risk for a sake of a few photos. Diana was quite use to the media and photographers, but Dodi was not... He must have thought he was doing her a favour, but in reality, she had been dealing with these people for a very long time. Why did she not just insist they stand still and allow the photos to be taken. ?He must have been trying to relate just how great his security was etc...I read that he hated the photographers etc....Silly man! Should have allowed the photos!!
Name: exploora
Comment: I just wanted to add something,my mother would have found this article very interesting. When I went to see Queen (the movie), I was surprised at the demographics in the theater, and realized it was the first time in my life I was in a movie theater where the majority were older than 70, eating popcorn etc, and laughing.
How lucky we are that this generation shared with us their belief in our future. Maybe if we did the same for the generations to come maybe we could make decisions which could lead to an outcome we all want, happiness for future generations. I won't say happy ending, cause why does the world have to end. Why can't we consider the good in each other, while preventing breaking each others hearts, which possibly does lead to a broken mind.
I didn't realize people actually wrote without checking if the word was right 5 or 6 times. What a gift to have words flow the way these articles flow. It really feeds the mind with something more useful than naked aggression, found on so many other sites. And today I learned something relating to how gifted writers flow their words. That is why I love this site.
Name: Muriel
Comment: Having read the transcript of Fayed's testimony, all I can say is, it certainly shows what a deranged mind he is. His so-called proof is nothing more than the belief that it's true because he says it is. There is not one shred of evidence to back up anything he alleges, yet he assures one and all that what he says is true. I suppose in some way the man is to be pitied, he no longer resides in the real world, but he certainly can be considered a danger, his state of mind is so unstable.
Name: exploora
Comment: Assuming Dodi and Di were going to hang out together, what ever that means, they would have had to handle the press in some functional way for the rest of their lives, maybe.
The whole situation lacked strategic and logistic thinking. Well duh.
A lot of this does not make sense. They could have blocked a whole floor from the public, and stayed there for as long as it took so the paparazzi would go away.
What did they think was going to happen, speeding on a road that dangerous, that late at night, not wearing seat belts. That is totally not the way I would be spending my evening. And I have a lot less to loose than Di did. Her life was incredible. All the places she was able to go to. Why risk it over a picture or two being taken.
Exclusion, having your rights ignored, all those things enrage people but this is not the type of world people are better off responding from their heart. They were at the Ritz, they could have ordered soup and videos and stayed in their room. I bet the rooms are incredible. Why were they at the Ritz so late at night, if they weren't planning on staying.
They should let the whole thing go. What else is there to say about this?
Name: Kate
Comment: I agree this enquiry has cost the tax payer a lot of money.. No question there. However, this enquiry should have been 3 or 4 months after the crash. NOT 10-1/2 years after. The enquiry should have been done without the prodding and pushing of Mr. ALfayed. It should have been a given and not left up to the French to draw the conclusions of how the Mother of a future King of the UK died, by accident or at the hands of unknown persons.. WITHOUT Mr. ALfayed, there were/are many of us who, from the very nite of the crash, "felt" there was more to this crash then just another accident.The supporters of Diana were aware of her drawbacks and that she could push buttons and that, in fact, she, herself, had been given a very bad deal from the establishment and the RF..Even now there are just too many oddities about the crash and the number of reasons and the number of people and organization that perhaps, quietly wished there was no Diana!! So IMO, she deserves this enquiry.. We will never know the exact truth... but she deserves this enqiry to bring to the surface events and quotes, and the people who were part of her life...That all that transpires in the court room, is on record, even the desperate rantings of Mr. Alfayed, who likely did more ( IMO, other then the presence of Camilla in the picture - if there was no Camilla, chances are Diana would have been in England on Sept.31/97)to bring the crash about, as if he planned it himself, with his poor judgement in bringing these two together.. Once this enquiry is over, and all is on historical record, hopefully Princess Diana can RIP... Never to be forgotten..
Name: Monika
Comment: Although I do not believe there was a conspiracy, I think it's a bit unfair to suggest that those who do simply cannot accept that Diana's death was accidental. I think there were/are valid questions people have raised on this and other sites. It depends on how one looks at things.
As for Al Fayed, I suppose he will scoff forever because he cannot accept that Princess Diana died on his watch.
Name: anyacat
Comment: If Diana actually confined in Mr. Al Fayed wouldn't he have bought the best security he could afford? Instead, he implicates everyone, from the housemaid on up, in a massive conspiracy to murder Diana, and that includes her own sister, who had nothing to gain from Diana's death. Al Fayed and the legion of Diana conspiracy fans have persuaded the British to spend millions of pounds exposing every possible intimate detail of Diana's life in an attempt to prove that Diana and Dodi died in something other than an unfortunate accident. Just as Al Fayed and his supporters scoffed at the French inquest results, they will scoff at the British inquiry because it does not prove that which they hold dear to their hearts: People such as Diana do not die in accidents--oh, no, they are murdered. If it wasn't so tawdry and pathetic, it would be amusing.
Name: Monika
Comment: Another employee to the rescue.
If ALL these people had this type of inside information, why didn't they all go running and screaming to the nearest police station? --------------------------- Jean Sue, I replied in the "Dracula" article.
