(Thanks) very much. The long awaited inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al-Fayed has begun at the high court in London. The jury will determine how the couple died more than 10 years ago in a car crash in Paris. Two separate investigations by French and British police concluded that the chauffeur Henri Paul had been drinking and was driving too fast. Kief Breeve's report contains flash photography.

Amid a crush of media attention, Mohamed al-Fayed arrived at the High Court this morning. He's waited more than a decade for an inquest although he reached his own verdict long ago.

I'm hoping for the justice. I'm a father who lost his son and fighting for 10 years. At last we are gonna have a jury from ordinary people and I hope to reach the sol(ution) the decision which I believe that my son and Princess Diana (were) being murdered by the royal family.Ok? Today's inquest follows 2 previous investigations, the French inquiry and then Lord Stevens report, both concluded Diana's death was an accident.

This is the man who will chair the inquest. Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker will sit with a jury of 11 men and women to examine many of the issues surrounding the fatal crash in Paris.

The inquest, expected to last up to 6 months, will look at events leading up to the crash. It will investigate the aftermath, Diana's journey to hospital and treatment, whether the driver Henri Paul was over the blood alcohol limit. And it's excepted to examine claims the couple bought an engagement ring on the day of the crash.

How they died is not simply a medical issue, it's an issue that involves looking at where they were going? What they'd been doing? How they were travelling? All those sorts of things, and there will be a degree of controversy at the inquest as to how extensive and how much detail the Coroner goes into and is trying to probe into that issue.

Just before Easter next year, the jury will be expected to reach a verdict. They can decide that the deaths were accidental. That the couple were unlawfully killed, or if it's still unclear they can record an open verdict.

Well, our reporter Jane Dodge is at the High Court, where the inquest is taking place, and what's happened so far?

Well, that jury that Mr. al-Fayed has campaigned so hard to get respond in this morning, 6 women, 5 men. And the Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker's very much directing his opening comments towards them. He ran through those events of that tragic night 31st of August 1997, and he told the jurors "most of you will remember where you were when you heard about the death of Diana princess of Wales. None of you would for a moment have thought that more than 10 years later you would be on a jury investigating what happened." He said there were four main questions they needed to find answers to. Who the deceased were? How they? (what) When they died? Where they died? But most importantly how they died? He said to the jury that they would be the most in the public highlight no other inquest jury had been before, and that evidence by the widespread worldwide interest here from the media in fact so much so a special annex has been built behind it, the wall of courts of justice to accommodate those dozens of journalists, and with that in mind the Coroner said to the jurors television programs have abounded, newspapers have frequently carried reports and articles, some he said near to the point of obsession. And he told the jurors "you must put anything that you have read or picked up out of your mind and concentrate on the evidence given here." He is due to continue that opening statement today. This inquest could last up to 6 months. Next week, those juries will be taken to Paris to see the crash site for themselves.

Jane, of course it's not just journalists who are obsessed with this whole saga, uh, I mean, it's attracting all sorts of people at courtroom.

A handful of members of the public managed to get places. One was indeed queuing from 5 o'clock yesterday morning. He sat there, rather tearful with ''Diana at last'' painted on his face, who one of us likes to say, a handful of members of the public there for the duration. Jane Dodge at the High Court.