Princess Diana's Inquest to Be Heard by Jury

A jury will deliver the verdict into the deaths of Princess Diana and her boyfriend, a three judged panel ruled on Friday. The panel accepted the argument that the coroner erred in trying to decide the case on her own.

A panel of randomly selected jurors will hear the inquest into the death of Princess Diana, August 1997. The Coroner had stated that she best handle the case alone, without a jury. The inquest is expected to take place in May.

Friday's decision was a victory for Mohamed al Fayed, the father of Dodi Fayed and owner of Harrod's Department Store in London, England. Dodi Fayed was the boyfriend of Princess Diana. The coupled were killed in a tragic, fatal car crash in Paris, France in 1997.

For years, Mohamed al Fayed has vehemently alleged the there was a conspiracy behind the deaths in the August 1997 car crash. The Mercedes that they were riding in crashed as they were being pursued by paparazzi.

Fox News quoted Mohamed al Fayed as saying, :"Now that the coroner is compelled to have a jury...it will become clear beyond doubt that murder was committed." Fayed has claimed that rumors that his son and Princess Diana were going to be married infuriated the British royal family.

The judges of London's High Court said that jurors had to take part in the case because the circumstances surrounding the deaths could happen again. The court cited recent media intrusion suffers by Prince William's girlfriend and other celebrities as proof that photographers still pursue pubic figures _ often using motorcycles and other vehicles, Fox reports that the judges wrote "{It is likely that there be a recurrence of the type of event in which the paparazzi on wheels pursued the beloved Princess and Dodi al Fayed.

Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss is the Coroner. The Coroner is a retired judge, who remains in charge of these case. She had said earlier that a there was no need for a jury. She cited the volume of the complex evidence and ruled that she could best handle the case alone.