Had she been an ordinary person, the files on Princess Diana's fatal car crash would long ago have been consigned to police archives as a simple case of drunk driving. Henri Paul, who drove Diana and Dodi Fayed to their deaths on August 31st, 1997, had more than three times the legal alcohol level in his blood that night, as well as prescription anti-depressants.
But because of Diana's fame and popularity, the nine month-old investigation by the judges, Mr Herve Stephan and Ms MarieChristine Devidal is the most expensive inquiry ever carried out in France and will not be completed until next October.
A crucial step will take place today when nine photographers, a motorcycle despatch rider, 10 witnesses to the car crash or its immediate aftermath, Mohamed Al Fayed, the father of Dodi, and dozens of lawyers will meet in court for what the French call a confrontation en erale. The surviving bodyguard, Mr Trevor Rees-Jones, still does not remember the accident and declined the judges' invitation to attend.
Meanwhile, according to Paris Match magazine, police have abandoned the search for a white Fiat Uno seen in the tunnel at the time of the accident after determining that the Mercedes clipped the Uno and not the contrary.
During the questioning, witnesses may interrupt and contradict one another - a method that judges hope will resolve discrepancies regarding the photographers' actions. The nine, along with the motorcyclist, have been placed under investigation for manslaughter and failing to assist the accident victims. In March, Mr Al Fayed dropped allegations of a plot to kill the Princess and his son, but still blames the photographers - rather than the drunken Mr Paul, who was his employee - for their deaths. In months to come, the photographers will either be cleared or formally charged.
The first photographers to arrive at the scene of the accident are most at risk of prosecution. Last week, the French gendarmerie rented a car race-track outside Paris to test a Mercedes 280S, like the one that crashed, and the photographers' motorcycles. They concluded that the first vehicle to arrive on the scene - the motorcycle carrying Romuald Rat of the Gamma photo agency and his driver Stephane Darmon - could not have kept up with the Mercedes without spinning out of control at the entry to the tunnel.
The first doctor who arrived found Mr Rat and Mr Darmon already there, but insists they did not get in his way. Mr Rat, who has first aid training, had opened the car door and taken the Princess' pulse. Two photographers stopped briefly at the scene, took photos and drove away. The fourth pressman, Christian Martinez of the Angeli paparazzi agency, appears to be in the deepest legal trouble.
Two local policemen claim that Martinez and another photographer prevented them from approaching the victims while continuing to take photos. According to the cops, Martinez pushed one of them, saying, "Let me do my work. In Sarajevo, the cops let us work. Go get yourselves shot at - you'll see." Mr Martinez has never worked in Sarajevo.
