Three on Trial in Paris for Diana Photos

Three photographers went on trial Friday for taking pictures at the scene of the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed.

The trial, the latest judicial proceedings surrounding the high-speed crash, stems from a criminal complaint for invasion of privacy filed by Dodi Fayed’s father, Egyptian-born billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed.

Jacques Langevin, Christian Martinez and Eric Chassery were among the professional photographers who pursued the Mercedes carrying Princess Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, on Aug. 31, 1997. The driver, Henri Paul, also died in the crash in a Paris tunnel.

A judge ruled in 2002 that the men should stand trial on charges of invasion of privacy for taking photos of the crash victims inside their car. He dismissed the charges against five other photographers who took pictures at the scene.

The three photographers face up to a year in prison and a fine of $53,000.

Diana’s relatives and the British royal family are not plaintiffs in the case. Photos taken at the site were confiscated and never published.

In 2002, France’s highest court dropped manslaughter charges against the photographers. An investigation into the crash concluded that Paul had been drinking and was driving at high speed.

The hearing in Paris came as a British paper, The Daily Mirror, published excerpts from “A Royal Duty,” an upcoming memoir by Diana’s former butler and confidant Paul Burrell.

In excerpts released Friday, Burrell denied claims that Diana planned to marry Fayed and was pregnant with his child.

The former butler said that Diana, after her divorce, had nine suitors, including a famous politician and an actor, but that she was not ready to marry again. He did not reveal the names of the suitors and said Diana was in love with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, who eventually broke off their relationship.

The Mirror earlier published a letter, allegedly written by Diana 10 months before her death, saying someone was planning a car accident “in order to make the path clear for (Prince) Charles to marry.”

After the letter was published, Mohammed Al Fayed urged a public inquiry, but that was rejected by the British government. A coroner’s inquest will be held once legal processes in France are completed.