Princess Diana coroner vows speedy inquiry

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) The new judge overseeing the official British probe into the death of Princess Diana almost 10 years ago vowed today that his inquiry would be open and fair, but above all speedy.

Lord Justice Scott Baker was speaking as one of Diana's sons, Prince Harry said the exact details surrounding the deaths of Diana, 36, and her lover Dodi Al Fayed, 42, in a high-speed Paris car crash in 1997 would always be a mystery.

Baker is the fourth official to take on the job of overseeing the inquests into Diana and Al Fayed.

The previous judge, Elizabeth Butler-Sloss stepped down after the High Court overturned her decision not to hold the inquests in front of a jury.

''I hope it goes without saying that these inquests will be open, fair and transparent and that all evidence that can be obtained will be put before the jury,'' Baker told a pre-inquest hearing.

''I am also determined, against that background, that the inquests should be concluded as expeditiously as possible.'' In an interview with U.S. broadcaster NBC, to air on Monday, Harry and his older brother William said they regularly reflected on their mother's death.

''Whatever happened in that tunnel ... you know no one will ever know. And I'm sure people will always think about that the whole time ... I'll never stop wondering about it,'' Harry said.

However the princes were not in any doubt that the deaths were an accident, their spokesman said.

Two major investigations by both British and French police have concluded that the fatal crash occurred because their chauffeur Henri Paul, who also died, was drunk and under the influence of anti-depressant drugs.

The Mercedes limousine had been speeding away from paparazzi who had chased the couple from the Ritz Hotel.

However, conspiracy theories about the deaths persist.

Mohammed Al Fayed, Dodi's father and owner of London's luxury Harrods department store, insists they were murdered by British secret services acting on the orders of the royal family.

He wants to call Diana's ex-husband, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, and his father the Duke of Edinburgh as witnesses during the inquest.

Whether he is successful will be a matter for Baker to decide.

''We shall need to exercise a tight discipline to ensure that unnecessary witnesses are not called and unnecessary or repetitive questions are not asked,'' Baker said.

Reuters SM GC1752