The final chapter?

A HUSH descended as the names of six women and five men were read out by a court official. Each juror took their seat as their name was called, a seat which will be theirs for the next six months or more. It is a scene played out in courts across the country every day; inquests are limited fact-finding inquiries to establish how a person died, where and when.

But yesterday, the men and women taking their seats did so knowing they will be the ones to decide how a princess died.

It has taken ten years, two investigations, lengthy legal bids and the appointment of a fourth coroner, but finally the inquest into the deaths on August 31, 1997, of Diana, Princess of Wales and her companion Dodi Al Fayed has begun, following both French and British investigations.

The French investigation, led by Judge Herve Stephan, heard from 300 witnesses and concluded that the chauffeur Henri Paul was drunk, on prescription drugs and was driving too fast. The British investigation led by Lord Stevens, former head of Scotland Yard, found in December last year that their deaths were the result of a tragic accident and not a crime.

As part of their role, the jurors will travel to Paris to visit the scene of the crash and other key sites. They will hear via videolink from witnesses who saw the car during its ill-fated journey and the aftermath. There will be evidence on the treatment of the Princess at the scene, the journey to and events at the hospital and on the embalming of her body, her post-mortem examination, whether she was engaged to Dodi, and claims over whether she was pregnant or not.

Issues surrounding Henri Paul are likely to include whether he was over the drink drive limit, his blood samples, the speed he was driving, the choice of route and even the money that was in his possession at the time of the crash.

But the role of the inquest is somewhat limited. The main aims are to establish who the deceased was, and when, where and how he or she died. They don't apportion blame.

Witnesses in England and Wales can be compelled to provide evidence and be formally summoned, but witnesses in France - including the paparazzi - cannot. And instead of putting things to rest, key figures such as Mohamed Al Fayed, who is fighting for a public inquiry into his son's death, could seek a judicial review of the verdict after gaining consent from the Attorney General.

The main figures and theories surrounding that night include:

Diana, Princess of Wales - In the weeks leading up to her death, Diana was enjoying a new-found freedom, including a romance with Dodi Al Fayed. But was Dodi about to propose to her and was she pregnant? There have been repeated questions about the decision to embalm Diana's body in France. Some argue that the formaldehyde in the embalming process would have made it impossible to tell if she was pregnant.

Dodi Fayed - Dodi had a reputation as an international playboy, but according to his father, the 42-year-old Egyptian was planning to propose to the Princess.

Henri Paul - Paul, below, was the driver of the Mercedes and was also killed in the crash. He was acting head of security at the Ritz and worked for Dodi's father. But there have been claims that he may have been a spy for MI6 and allegations that he received large amounts of money from the Secret Service, which the jury will hear evidence on.

Trevor Rees - The only survivor of the crash, the former paratrooper, right, was employed as Dodi's bodyguard. He suffered extensive facial and head injuries and initially had no recollection of what happened. But he did publish a book in 2000, The Bodyguard's Story, in which he rejected conspiracy theories about the accident.

Mohamed Al Fayed - Dodi's father, the outspoken owner of Harrods, also owned the Ritz Hotel in Paris, from where the couple set off on their ill-fated journey. He believes that the Princess and his son were murdered in a plot by MI6 and the Duke of Edinburgh. He believes a box of Diana's correspondence, including letters from Prince Philip, could hold the key.

Michael Mansfield QC - A high profile name in legal circles, Mr Fayed's barrister specialises in miscarriages of justice. He represented Angela Cannings, whose conviction for murdering her two baby sons was overturned at the Court of Appeal, as well as the Birmingham Six.

Lord Justice Scott Baker - The coroner brought in after Baroness Butler-Sloss quit. One of Britain's most experienced judges, he is firm and authoritative, but not without a sense of humour.

Paul Burrell - Diana's former butler, right, reawakened conspiracy theories when it emerged he had a letter from the Princess expressing her fears that her brakes might be tampered with on the Prince of Wales' orders. Prince Charles was later interviewed by Lord Stevens.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh - Mr Al Fayed's lawyers have called for the Queen to be a potential witness and for Prince Philip to "answer inquiries". The coroner has so far refused the demands, but said he will keep this under review.

Kes Wingfield - Mr Rees' former colleague and also employed by Mr Al Fayed as a bodyguard. He was with the Princess and Dodi earlier on the night they died.

Richard Tomlinson - A former agent who has claimed that Britain's Secret Intelligence Service was monitoring Diana and that Henri Paul was an MI6 spy. He claimed Diana's death bore similarities to an MI6 plan drawn up to kill the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.

Lord Stevens - Lawyers for Henri Paul's family want Lord Stevens to be called as a witness. They claim he told Paul's parents in November 2006 that their son was not drunk at the time of the crash, but that a month later the inquiry report concluded he had been.

The tunnel - The Pont de l'Alma tunnel was not a logical way to reach Dodi's apartment, but the couple were being pursued by the paparazzi. It has also been suggested that a motorcyclist was blocking a slip road, forcing the driver into the tunnel.

The flash - Photographers following the couple have described seeing a flash of light moments before the crash, which some say could have been more than a camera flashbulb. There have been claims it was a beam of light directed into Paul's eyes from an undercover agent in another car.

The white Fiat - An unexplained white Fiat car was said to have been in the tunnel. Seven years ago, French cameraman James Andanson, who had been trailing the couple in St Tropez just before the crash, was found dead in a burnt-out car in the south of France. He drove a white Fiat Uno, which he sold in the days after the crash.