Sep 8, 2006, 18:24 GMT
The delayed inquest into the death of Britain's Princess Diana is to be concluded next year - the new coroner has promised.
Baroness Butler-Sloss was yesterday (07.09.06) officially appointed to hear the case of the 1997 Paris car crash, which killed Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed.
The 73-year-old - who has replaced previous coroner Michael Burgess - is known for her "no-nonsense" attitude and her decision to head the inquest has been greatly welcomed by the royal family.
A royal spokesman said: "She will act as an independent judicial officer - in practice this means that she will take instructions from no one in the conduct of her duties."
On her first day on the job, the baroness scheduled preliminary hearings of the case for early 2007 - the year of the tenth anniversary of Diana and Dodi's deaths.
During the inquest, Butler-Sloss is to study over 20,000 legal documents, including 1,500 witness statements.
However, she has to await the official reports from Lord Stevens - who is leading the investigations - before she can begin sifting through the papers.
Former police chief Lord Stevens is overseeing the official report into the deaths and has previously stated that the inquiry into the death of Diana was "far more complex than any of us thought".
It is believed that to avoid further complication Baroness Butler-Sloss will not involve a public jury, but will hear the case alone.
(C) BANG Media International
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