Therefore, it seems positively eerie that the juries in both cases seem poised now to render their verdicts within days of each other – with the jury in The Bahamas handing down its verdict last week, and the one in London expected to do so today.
Of course, with all of the tabloid stories about Britney Spears, Elliot Spitzer and other celebrities that have dominated media coverage since then, it’s probably difficult to remember how much worldwide interest these inquests once generated.
At any rate, here’s what I wrote last year about the Diana inquest and its likely verdict:
Despite all of the conspiracy theories still surrounding Diana’s death, I suspect the jury empanelled at the Westminster Coroner’s Court will merely ratify the findings in Lord Stevens’ report.
He found that Diana died in a terrible car accident when her chauffeur, Henri Paul, lost control; that Paul lost control because he was “as drunk as a pig on a combination of booze and tranquilizers;” and, most significantly, that neither Prince Philip nor any other member of the British royal family engineered or precipitated any criminal mischief in this respect.
Accordingly, since the jury is likely to return a verdict of “accident,” this will effectively stamp “Case Closed!” on this notorious tragedy.
Of course, this jury is taking a rather long time (having begun their deliberations last Wednesday) to render what seems an obvious verdict. But this probably has more to do with the judge’s superfluous instructions than with any regard for the evidence. After all, here, in part, is what Lord Justice Scott Baker told the jurors:
The conspiracy theory promoted by Fayed’s father, Mohamed Al Fayed, that the couple were killed in a secret-service plot masterminded by Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip, has been minutely examined and shown to be without any substance…There was not a shred of evidence.
There is no pressure of time. Take as long as is necessary.
By contrast, the jury in The Bahamas wasted little time rendering the verdict I predicted months ago. Because here’s what I wrote last year about the Daniel inquest and its likely verdict:
One wonders whether the seven women on this jury have already made up their minds…. I suspect the jury will find that the manner of Daniel’s death was eerily similar to that of his mother’s, namely, accidental drug overdose.(A verdict that I’m sure will be a terrible disappointment to the millions who have already convicted Howard K. Stern of being not only a money-grabbing, baby-stealing Svengali but also a double murderer!)
Quite appropriately, these jurors took only 73 minutes to affirm my prediction; i.e., that they would conclude he died of an accidental drug overdose.
Case closed…in London and The Bahamas!
UPDATE (Today 4:00 pm GMT): It took them far too long but jurors in London just affirmed my prediction by handing down their verdicts that Diana and Dodi were killed “through the grossly negligent driving” of chauffeur Henri Paul. Although they also found that the universally reviled paparazzi contributed to this tragedy – notwithstanding that all professional investigators exonerated them.
But I rather doubt these verdicts will disabuse Dodi’s Daddy, Mohammed Al Fayed, of his 10-year quest to prove that Diana and his son were murdered at the behest of the British royal family.
Related Articles:
A tale of two inquests…
Diana inquest, Daniel inquest Bahamas
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