18 December 2003 - STATEMENT FROM MR MICHAEL BURGESS
“I am pleased to confirm that I will be opening inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed on Tuesday 6 January, 2004. There will be two separate hearings. The first, opening the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales will be conducted by me as Coroner of The Queen’s Household, and will be at 10.30 am at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, SW1. The inquest into the death of Dodi Al Fayed I will open as H.M. Coroner for Surrey, at 3.00 pm that same day at Wray Park, Reigate, Surrey.
“I stated in October 2003 that I intended to hold inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed. The opening of these inquests has been the subject of discussion and correspondence with the families for some time but because of the complexity of the situation the final arrangements have taken rather longer to complete than I would have wished.
“At neither hearing, will I be receiving any evidence from witnesses attending in person. I will, however, make a statement which will cover such matters as the purpose of the inquests, how they may be expected to be conducted and the nature and scope of evidence that I expect to receive. I will also address some procedural issues.
"These arrangements have been advised to both families."
-Ends-
Michael Burgess issued the following statement on 22 October 2003
"The inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, has not yet been held because the various investigations being made on my behalf have not so far been concluded. Amongst other matters, I wish to take account of the findings of the investigations and proceedings in France and I understand that some of these matters are still before the French Courts.
As with any other inquest, as Coroner with responsibility for the case, it is ultimately for me to decide on the scope of the investigations, the witnesses to be called and when I may be ready to hold the inquest. I also have to look at the practical arrangements for the public hearing. I am not yet in a position to make final decisions on any of these matters, but aim to do so as soon as I can.
When I am in a position to announce all the various arrangements (including the date and venue of the inquest) I will first notify all those with a recognized proper interest and, of course, the press".
