THE death of Diana, Princess of Wales, was more than an accident, her former butler suggested last night.

Paul Burrell echoed claims by Harrods boss Mohamed al Fayed that the 1997 crash which killed Diana and his son, Dodi Fayed, might not have been an accident.

"I think there really is more to it, but I don't have the information to judge that," he said. "It was a very strange scenario of events but I'm not sure how to get to the bottom of it without causing more distress to William and Harry."

Mr Burrell made the allegation in an interview for the BBC1 series Tabloid Tales which will be shown on Tuesday.

The former butler - whose Old Bailey trial for theft dramatically collapsed last year after the Queen intervened - also rubbished claims that Diana was pregnant when she died or that she had taken cocaine.

Mr Burrell, described by Diana once as "my rock", said he had been in love with the Princess "in a way".

And he said the allegations that he stole from her had turned his life into "two years of hell".

* Agreement has been reached over the ownership of a "substantial amount" of the property involved in the Paul Burrell theft trial, Scotland Yard said yesterday.

A spokeswoman said: "Negotiations continue to establish ownership of a small number of items still in our possession. If there is a dispute the matter will be taken to the High Court."

Before the trial, police confiscated more than 300 items Mr Burrell was then accused of stealing from Diana's estate and from the Prince of Wales and Prince William.