Diana, Princess of Wales

Questions over whether Diana, Princess of Wales was about to announce her engagement to Dodi al Fayed were raised at the inquests into their deaths.

Dodi’s father, Mohamed al Fayed, has always contended that the pair were about to declare their intention to marry.

Lord Justice Scott Baker told the jury yesterday: “It will be necessary for you to consider carefully the evidence of an impending engagement announcement on Monday 1st September.”

He said Mr al Fayed had said Dodi had called him in the early evening of Saturday August 30 to tell him that he had collected the engagement ring from Repossi, the jeweller.

The coroner said: “You will have to decide whether Dodi did indeed phone his father in those terms and whether, if he did, what he said was more than wishful thinking.”

The inquest heard it had also been suggested Diana spoke to Mr al Fayed at that time and also spoke of making an announcement.

Lord Justice Scott Baker said the jury would also have to consider other evidence which may or may not suggest an engagement.

He said: “Rene Delorm was Dodi's butler and had been since 1990 or 1991.

He says he was told by Dodi on 30th August 1997 to get champagne on ice ready for when he and Diana returned from dinner because he was going to propose to her and Dodi showed him a ring.

“He says that later in the evening he saw Diana sitting on the coffee table.

Dodi was on one knee in front of her, caressing her tummy.

She was looking at her hand.

“Delorm says he heard Diana say “yes”, but that was the only word that he heard.

He cannot say whether it was "Yes, I will marry you" or "Yes, we can go to the Ritz".

Mr Delorm found the ring in Dodi’s apartment after the fatal crash, the jury heard.

The coroner said Stuart Benson, then a legal adviser to Mohamed Al Fayed, said he had spoken to Dodi, who told him he had some very exciting news regarding him and "his friend" - his way of referring to Diana.

Benson was in no doubt that this related to his impending engagement, the coroner said.

But there was also a “considerable” body of evidence to suggest an engagement was not imminent, the inquest heard.

Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale spoke to her on 29th August 1997.

She said Diana was concerned about an article about landmines written by a French journalist in which her words had been mistranslated.

When Lady Sarah said this was something that Dodi could “surely” help with, Diana replied, “I do not think so” which gave her the impression the relationship was on “stony ground”, the jury was told.

Lord Justice Scott Baker told the jury Diana had a number of conversations with friends in the days before her death, in which she made no mention of an engagement.

When one, Lady Annabel Goldsmith spoke with her about the subject of marriage, Diana replied: “Annabel, I need marriage like a rash on the face”.

Lord Justice Baker added: “There are other witnesses whose evidence is that if Diana was going to get engaged, they would have been likely to know about it.”