Diana inquest jury visits Paris Ritz Hotel

The jury in the inquest into the death of Dianaand her companion Dodi Al Fayedtoured the exclusive Ritz Hotel in Paris on Tuesday, where the couple dined hours before their deaths in a car crash more than a decade ago.

The jurors began their visit to Paris on Monday, collecting sights and scenes that will help them piece together how the late Princess of Wales, Al Fayed and driver Henry Pauldied in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997.

During the tour of the hotel, the head of the inquest, Lord Justice Scott Baker, pointed out locations where the two were captured on grainy footage from security cameras, including a tiled vestibule just inside the back door service entrance.

Al Fayed was seen there with his arm aroundDiana just before they got into their Mercedes.

Al Fayed's father, Mohammed Al Fayed, has alleged that Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband, directed British secret service agents in a conspiracy to murder the couple, in part because Diana was carrying Dodi Al Fayed's child and was planning to marry him.He claims the couple were killed on their engagement night.

Bus tour ofdriver's fateful path

Jurors were also taken on three routes through Paris by bus on Tuesday, to see the path taken by driver Henri Paul on the lovers' final drive, as well as two other alternate routes he could have chosen.

Questions persist over why he chose the Pont de l'Alma underpass where the Mercedes crashed instead of another, shorter route to Al Fayed's private Paris home near the Arc de Triomphe. Much of Monday's itinerary focused on the underpass, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower.

A French investigation concluded the car was travelling at an excessive speed and that Paul had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Tests showed the presence of two prescription drugs, including the antidepressant Prozac, in his system.

Neither the French nor British investigations has blamed paparazzi pursuing the speeding car for the crash.

Under British law, inquests are held when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or of unknown causes, but this inquest was delayed by exhaustive investigations by French and British authorities. Both dismissed conspiracy theories and concluded the driver was drunk and speeding.

The inquest opened a week ago and is expected to last no more than six months.