12/16/2007

Princess Diana Inquest - Evidence and Transcripts Online: Amazing Reading

The British Coroner's Office has placed all its hearing transcripts as well as its evidence online, for all the world to see and read, and follow along with the proceedings. It's an amazing site for both lawyers and laymen -- and a savvy counter to any future argument of cover-up or Kangaroo Court proceedings.

Of course, there is a lot to debate on the privacy issues arising out of what you'll find over at the official British Inquest site -- especially when you stop to ponder if Princess Diana ever thought you'd be reading her handwritten thank you notes to Dodi (her handwriting is very hard to read, so they've also got typewritten versions) or if Diana would be bothered to see the number of security cameras monitoring the movements of everyone in the Ritz that night.

There's just so much there, and it's still going on - each day's events are promptly added, and the proceeding begin again tomorrow morning. It's fascinating.

For example, it contains Fergie's Statement to the Inquest, which was read into the record on the afternoon of December 13, 2007. Sarah Ferguson reports that she had not seen, nor spoken with, Diana for a full two years before Diana's death. Curious by its absence is Fergie's outright denial of any fear for the life of herself or her daughters as she merely dismisses the existence of communications with Diana as well as any correspondence voicing these concerns to the Queen.

Really makes you wonder why Fergie didn't appear at the Inquest, to give testimony instead of sending a statement to be read.

There's also Dodi's ex-girlfriend's testimony that in July, she was living in a house in Malibu expecting to marry Dodi the next month, and suddenly she's booted out of the home by Mohammed Al Fayed with a girlfriend telling her to check the papers, where Dodi and Diana's infamous kissing photo has appeared.

This stuff would be addictive, even without the Writer's Strike.

There are also voluminous visuals to be studied, should you chose to do so. Maps of the route, maps of the nearest hospitals to the wreck site, maps of where Diana and Dodi went that day, all appear online.

There's information on the ring and the jewelry stores, and lots of investigation into the day's activities of Henri Paul.

And, in between all this stuff - so far - are lots of holes filled with lots of questions. Hopefully, as the proceedings progress, they'll get filled in.