The former head of the MI6 denied the British Secret Intelligence Service had murdered Princess Diana, her inquest heard yesterday (20.02.08).
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Sir Richard Dearlove – who was the agency’s director of special operations at the time of Diana’s death on August 31, 1997 – told the jury at London’s High Court the MI6 didn’t assassinate anyone between 1994 and 1999.
He claimed assassination was contrary to government policy and he was unaware of any such activity by the agency during his career there.
Diana was killed in a Paris car crash along with lover Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul and some have claimed they were murdered by the British establishment.
But Dearlove denied any wrongdoing and also denied the MI6 mounted any operations directed at Diana or Dodi, including surveillance or bugging, adding they took no particular interest in her campaign against land mines.
Ian Burnett, a lawyer for the coroner’s inquest, asked Dearlove whether he could confirm that “no authorisation was sought in respect of any activities concerning Princess Diana”.
Dearlove said: “I can absolutely confirm that.”
Burnett then asked whether that denial included “such things as eavesdropping, surveillance, bugging” to which he replied: “Everything.”
Burnett asked: “And it would plainly have been outside the functions of (the agency) to do so?”
Dearlove said: “Had it been done, it would have been outside the function of the service.”
Burnett asked if it was possible for rogue elements to mount an operation outside the chain of command.
Dearlove replied: “I would have regarded that as an impossibility.”
Dodi’s father, Mohamed Al Fayed, has insisted the MI6 were behind the crash and covered it up to make it look like an accident.
