Diana driver 'allowed to drink'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7127545.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The man behind the wheel on the night Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash was allowed to drink while working, an inquest has been told.

Thierry Rocher, former night manager of the Ritz hotel, said this was owing to Henri Paul's status with the family of Diana's boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed.

Blood tests showed Mr Paul, who died along with Diana and Mr Al Fayed, had been over the drink-drive limit.

A decision to switch drivers that night came from Mr Al Fayed, it was heard.

Mr Paul was acting head of security at the hotel, but replaced Mr Al Fayed's usual driver on the night of 30-31 August 1997.

Mr Rocher told the inquest he had passed on a message from Mr Al Fayed about the car-switch plan to Mr Paul, only to be told by the security man that he was off to finish his drink.

"After I had given him Dodi's message he thanked me and said, 'I'm going to finish my Ricard with the Englishmen,'" said Mr Rocher.

Other have testified they thought it was Mr Paul and the bodyguards who devised the decoy plan to place a limousine in front of the Ritz while the couple left via the rear door with Mr Paul driving.

'Specific status'

Mr Rocher said it was not his place to comment on the alcohol because of Mr Paul's "direct relationship with the Al Fayed family" - the owners of the hotel - but did tell the inquest that any other employee would have been fired for drinking at work.

"Nobody was allowed to drink alcohol while on duty but Henri Paul had a specific status in the organisational chart at the hotel," he said.

Two investigations by the French authorities and the Metropolitan Police found that the couple's Mercedes crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel after Mr Paul had been drinking and driving too fast.

Dodi Al Fayed decided to switch cars to throw off the paparazzi

Richard Horwell QC, for the Metropolitan Police, asked: "You cannot have approved of his drinking whilst on duty, can you?"

Mr Rocher replied: "I was in no position to say anything to him because, as a matter of fact, he was reporting directly to Mr Klein [the Ritz hotel president]."

The witness also said that given Mr Paul was with Mr Al Fayed's two British bodyguards, he felt it was up to them "to judge whether he could drive or not or whether he should, if he was going to be asked to drive, if it was proper for him to do so".

He described Mr Al Fayed as "nervous and irritated" with the paparazzi gathered outside the hotel.