Police to protect Diana jury, as selection begins

LONDON, Sep 27 (Reuters) The 11-strong jury in the Princess Diana inquest will be protected by a team of police officers when the case finally makes it to a full hearing next week, 10 years after her death.

The long-delayed inquest, expected to last six months, will investigate how Diana and Dodi Fayed died, along with their driver Henri Paul, when their car crashed in a Paris tunnel.

The coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, told potential jurors summoned today that he was ''very anxious'' they should not be harassed or hassled in any way.

''That is why arrangements have been made to collect you from home and return you there,'' he said.

''If you are in any way hassled or harassed you should immediately tell one of my officers who will take the appropriate steps and report it immediately to me,'' he added.

Of the 80 people who attended, 25 potential jurors were shortlisted, 15 of them women and 10 men, after completing a questionnaire to gauge their eligibility.

The Ministry of Justice said the security arrangements were unusual for an inquest.

The inquest which begins on Tuesday is due to hear evidence relating to some of the most controversial aspects surrounding the couple, who died on August 31, 1997, including allegations that Diana was pregnant.

The coroner and jury, who will travel to the Paris crash scene, will also look into the embalming of her body and her post-mortem examination.

Previous hearings have heard that detailed questions will be asked about a box of letters belonging to Diana -- said to include one from the Duke of Edinburgh -- and the mystery surrounding their whereabouts.

Last December, a lengthy police investigation ruled that the crash was an accident and decided that the two were not the victims of an elaborate murder plot.

A two-year French investigation had already reached the same conclusion.

REUTERS PD RAI2313