British police announced on Thursday that the death of Diana, late Princess of Wales, was a "tragic accident" and that there had been no conspiracy or cover-up.
"Our conclusion is that of all the evidence available at this time, there was no conspiracy to murder any of the occupants of the car. This was a tragic accident," said Lord Stevens, former Metropolitan Police Commission, who led the three-year investigations on the allegation of "conspiracy to murder."
The police team came to this conclusion after examining motives for the alleged murder, as well as the opportunity and capability to carry it out.
According to Stevens who made the announcement at the press conference, the team interviewed over 300 witnesses, some for the first time. Over 500 actions were undertaken and more than 600 exhibits were collected. More than 20 International letters of Request were submitted to the French authorities.
The investigation team also gained unprecedented access to intelligence records in Britain, further contacting American intelligence helping them be confident that "the allegations made are unfounded."
Stevens also said the Prince of Wales was not pregnant at the time of her death. "Our conclusions were strengthened by forensic tests carried out on blood recovered from the Mercedes car."
"From the evidence of her close friends and associates, she was not engaged and she was not about to get engaged," he added.
The investigation that cost ￡ 3.69 million (some US$7.4 million) also found that Henri Paul, driver of the Mercedes when the accident happened, had an alcohol level of around 1.74 grams per liter at the time of the crash on Aug. 31, 1997, around twice the British drink drive limit. He was also driving at some 61 miles per hour, twice the speed limit.
The three-year probe has resulted in a report of 832 pages. Stevens hopes that "the publication of the report will help to bring some closure to all who continue to mourn the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, Dodi Al Fayed and Henri Paul," and end any speculation as well as misinformed judgments.
(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2006)
