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| S P E C I A L S: | Diana: A Remembrance |
| Diana: A Nation Mourns |
Dodi's dad says fatal wreck was no accident
He also reveals what he says were Diana's last words
February 12, 1998
Web posted at: 12:23 p.m. EST (1723 GMT)LONDON (CNN) -- Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has upset Buckingham Palace by telling the London media he is "99.9 percent" sure that the deaths of his son, Dodi, and Princess Diana were not accidental. Al Fayed also has broken his vow not to repeat what he says were the princess's last words.
Al Fayad contends Diana asked that her sister Sarah take care of her sons, princes Harry and William.
A palace spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Al Fayed's conspiracy theory was "causing a lot of stress to the family. And it's not necessary,"
Al Fayed told The Daily Mirror that his son and the Princess of Wales were engaged, and that he believes "there were people who did not want Dodi and Diana to be together."
"I believe in my heart, 99.9 percent, that it was not an accident. There was a conspiracy, and I will not rest until I have established exactly what happened," Al Fayed told the Mirror.
A spokeswoman for Diana's family, the Spencers, said other people also have raised the possibility that someone plotted against the princess.
"There are so many conspiracy theories that we're not commenting on any of them," the spokeswoman said.
Al Fayed did not say who he thought may have been involved in a plot against the couple, but he did tell the Mirror that many people in the British "establishment" were happy the couple died.
Al Fayad says nurse spoke to him
In his interview, the department store owner also repeated his claim that Diana spoke to a French nurse at the hospital in her dying hours.
"Her last words conveyed to me by this nurse were: 'I would like all my possessions in Dodi's apartment to be given to my sister Sarah, including my jewelry and my personal clothes, and please tell her to take care of my boys."
The nurse covered her name badge while she spoke to conceal her identity, Al Fayad said.
Diana is survived by her two sons, 15-year-old Prince William and 13-year-old Prince Harry, from her failed marriage to Prince Charles.
Al Fayed's earlier claims that Diana spoke before she died also angered the palace.
Doctors who treated the princess after the August 31 car crash have said her only words were cries of pain, and that she was unconscious during most of the hours before she died.
Al Fayed told the Mirror that the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital nurse who reported Diana's last words to him had said the princess drifted in and out of consciousness in her last hours.
'It wasn't a friendship ring'
Palace insiders also have rejected Al Fayed's claims that his son and the princess intended to get married. The Egyptian- born businessman told the Mirror that he paid for the $245,000 (150,000 pounds) diamond and emerald ring found in Dodi's apartment after the crash.
"It wasn't a friendship ring, it was an engagement ring," Al Fayed said. "Everything was ready for Diana."
Al Fayed said he flew straight to Paris in his private helicopter the moment he heard of the crash, and that when he arrived at the hospital he was told the princess had just died.
It was Al Fayed who introduced the princess to his son during a mid-1997 Mediterranean holiday aboard his luxury yacht.
Several weeks later, the couple died when their chauffeur- driven Mercedes crashed in a Paris tunnel.
French investigators have said driver Henri Paul, who was employed by Al Fayed, had a blood-alcohol level that was about three times the legal limit. Police have also said they have evidence the Mercedes hit another car before it crashed, although police have not found the second vehicle.
'Drinking is part of the French lifestyle'
Al Fayed told the Mirror it was too convenient to blame the deaths on a drunk driver.
"You have to remember that drinking is part of the French lifestyle ... Many people drive over there with alcohol in their blood but it doesn't mean they are incapable of driving," he said.
Tom Bower, who is writing a biography on Al Fayed, said there was no evidence to support the grieving father's conspiracy theory.
"He is a man who is clearly tormented by the tragedy. But he's also a man who believes there's a conspiracy behind everything," Bower told BBC radio.
"But the trouble with the conspiracy theorists is, there's no smoking gun," he added. "Why on earth would anyone want to kill Princess Diana?"
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Diana and Dodi: The Romance
- New book says Diana, Dodi planned to marry - February 7, 1998
- Investigators skeptical over reports of Diana 'mystery car' - February 2, 1998
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