Scrawled note stokes frenzy over Princess Diana's death

By CAHAL MILMO in London

For the conspiracy theorists who have spent six years pondering the significance of the missing white Fiat and the antics of the pursuing paparazzi pack, it was manna from a newsstand - nine pages of newsprint detailing how Diana, Princess of Wales, believed she would be murdered in a staged car crash.

The latest addition to the catalogue of allegations of shadowy conduct leading to the death of the Princess in a Paris underpass on August 31, 1997, came in the shape of a letter apparently written by her to her butler and confidant, Paul Burrell, 10 months before she died.

Scrawled on red-fringed note paper bearing her insignia of a letter 'D' topped with a crown, Diana claimed that there was a plot to create a road accident through brake failure which would leave her with "serious head injury" and clear the way for Prince Charles to remarry.

St James's Palace was last night resolute in efforts to do nothing to fan the flames of publicity. A spokeswoman said: "We are not making any comment. There is nothing to say."

Others, however, were doing their best to give the claim maximum exposure.

The claim, made by Burrell in a book due to be published next week, was revealed by the Daily Mirror after it paid a six-figure sum for the newspaper rights to the work, written in the aftermath of the royal manservant's acquittal in January on charges of stealing his former employer's possessions.

Literary agents yesterday confirmed that both parties are likely to benefit handsomely from their investment. Burrell has been paid an estimated £500,000 ($1.4 million) advance for A Royal Duty, his account of life with the Princess.

Penguin Books has ordered an initial run of 100,000 hardback titles.

The Daily Mirror refused to comment on reports that it had printed an extra 300,000 copies - carrying the slogan "Revealed: Note that will stun world" - in order to maximise the return from its outlay.

The letter, which Burrell claimed was written in October 1996 on one of Diana's "down days", following her divorce from Prince Charles, was allegedly given to the butler as an insurance policy by a Princess worried that she was under surveillance by the "anti-Diana brigade".

Burrell said the Princess handed him the letter in an envelope bearing his name, saying: "I'm going to date this and I want you to keep it ... just in case."

The letter, which reveals the apparent delicacy of the Princess' state of mind as she talks of being "battered, bruised and abused mentally" over 15 years of exposure to the royal system, contained the name of an individual she claimed was behind the plot. This has been withheld by the publishers.

The Princess wrote: "This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous. [Name blanked out] is planning 'an accident' in my car, brake failure and serious head injury to make the path clear for Charles to marry".

"I have been battered, bruised and abused mentally by a system for 15 years now, but I feel no resentment, I carry no hatred. I am weary of the battles, but I will never surrender. I am strong inside and maybe that is a problem for my enemies.

"Thank you, Charles, for putting me through such hell and for giving me the opportunity to learn from the cruel things you have done to me. I have gone forward fast and have cried more than anyone will ever know."

Both Penguin and the Daily Mirror said the name had been omitted for legal reasons, namely concern at possible libel proceedings.

One source said: "There are no active proceedings but this is a preventative measure."

Even without the identity of the individual, the disclosure of the letter will fuel the lucrative output of books, magazine articles and documentaries based on claims rejecting the findings of the French investigation into the crash at the Pont d'Alma tunnel.

A French judge found in 1999 that the Princess' death was an accident caused by the effect of drink and prescription drugs on the driver of the Mercedes S280, Henri Paul, as he reached speeds of 130 km/h in a dash from the Paris Ritz.

Burrell, who was cleared of the theft charges at the Old Bailey after the intervention of the Queen, denied that he had failed to declare the existence of the letter to maximise the impact of his memoirs.

The former butler said he had been spurred to publish because of the failure to hold an inquest in Britain into the Princess' death. The Surrey coroner, Michael Burgess, announced in August that an inquest would be held but no date for the hearing has been set.

Burrell, whom Diana famously called her "rock", said: "I decided to write this book because I firmly believe that someone has to stand in the Princess' corner and fight for her now that she cannot do so herself."

As internet chatrooms specialising in conspiracy theories yesterday filled with opinions on the significance of the letter, it was left to Mohamed al-Fayed, the Harrods owner whose son Dodi was killed in the crash, to both further castigate Burrell and crank up the rumour mill.

Fayed said: "It is extraordinary that Paul Burrell did not volunteer this evidence in time for the French investigation into the crash. But it is now vital that he be called to give evidence in an independent public inquiry.

"It is his civic duty now to tell all that he knows about the involvement of others, including the security services, in this conspiracy."

Death of a Princess

* Diana died at the age of 36, alongside her lover Dodi al-Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul when their car crashed in Paris on August 31, 1997.

* An inquiry by French authorities in 1999 ruled the crash was an accident caused by Paul being drunk and driving too fast.

* The French inquiry concluded that he had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs before losing control of his speeding car in a Paris underpass.

* The coroner charged with investigating the death has promised there will be an inquest, but has so far declined to set a date.

- INDEPENDENT