Sep 25, 2006, 13:19 GMT
The body of Britain's Princess Diana's lover was confused with that of her driver's just hours after the fatal crash.
Britain's Daily Express newspaper has revealed that French officials - investigating the tragic 1997 Paris car crash which also claimed Diana's life - confused the body of Diana's lover Dodi Fayed and her driver Henri Paul, throwing the inquiry into chaos from the very beginning.
The pathologist in charge - Professor Dominique Lecomte - now faces investigation after it emerged he registered the body of driver Paul with the number 2146 the number already allocated to Fayed.
The numbers were scrawled on bracelets attached to the right wrists of the bodies.
Now it is feared that blood samples taken from the corpses - which were said to prove Paul was high on drink and drugs when the car crashed in the tunnel in Paris - could have come from a body totally unconnected with the crash.
A lawyer who has been working on the case for nine years said: "This terrible error illustrated how over-worked and inefficient many of the staff had become.
"When you're dealing with the death of the mother of the future King of Britain this is totally unacceptable."
A French legal source said: "If the French authorities were able to mix up Paul's body and Dodi Fayed's then it is pretty clear that they were able to mix up blood samples too."
Since the death of the princess, the British Royal family have been anxious for an inquest into her death to be held, so that the circumstances of her death can be known and her memory laid to rest.
However, so many mistakes and problems have occurred during the nine-year investigation that an inquest is yet to be held. It is hoped preliminary hearings will take place early 2007.
(C) BANG Media International
Your Talkback on this Story