Diana's brother-in-law denies plot

The Queen's former private secretary - who is also Princess Diana's brother-in-law - has denied any involvement in the Paris crash.

Lord Fellowes - who is giving evidence at the inquest into Diana's death - dismissed Mohamed al Fayed's claim that he had been in Paris on the night of the tragedy on August 31, 1997, and played a part in her "murder".

Mr al Fayed, who is convinced the crash was an MI6 murder plot, claims Lord Fellowes commandeered the communications centre at the British Embassy in Paris shortly before the death of the Princess to send messages to GCHQ.

Ian Burnett QC, for the coroner, put it to him: "In other words it was being suggested that you were intimately concerned in the murder of your sister-in-law. You understand that that was the allegation?"

Lord Fellowes nodded.

But he told the court: "We were in Norfolk that evening, we had people to stay, we went to an entertainment by Mr John Mortimer in Burnham Market Church."

Mr al Fayed believes the couple were murdered at the behest of the Duke of Edinburgh to stop them marrying.

He points to evidence that Diana feared she was under surveillance including the fact that - as the jury have heard - she even had her apartments at Kensington Palace swept for bugs.

Lord Fellowes told the inquest that the Security Service conducted sweeps for bugging devices in rooms used by the Queen and her private secretary to conduct business.

Mr Burnett asked him: "Presumably a constant concern to you and others was that people, hostile for whatever reason, might seek to intercept any conversations going on in the Palace."

Lord Fellowes replied: "I wouldn't say it was a constant preoccupation, but yes, we needed reassurance at regular intervals that there was no bugging going on."

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