• February 13, 2006
• Vol. 65
• No. 6

New Comments on Diana's Death

Mohamed Al Fayed, father of Princess Diana's boyfriend Dodi, who died with her in the 1997 car wreck, has long contended the couple were killed by British agents to keep Diana from marrying a Muslim. On Jan. 29, Lord Stevens, who is leading a belated Scotland Yard investigation into the crash, told a British news program, "It is right to say that some of the issues that have been raised by Mr. Fayed have been right to be raised." According to press reports and a well-placed PEOPLE source, investigators are re-interviewing MI6 agents known to have been in Paris the night of the crash and checking whether blood samples from the couple's chauffeur, Henri Paul—who, a French probe concluded, was drunk—could have been swapped in the morgue. But Martyn Gregory, author of Diana: The Last Days, says Stevens seemed to take pains in his statement not to endorse Al Fayed's theories, which Gregory calls "nonsense." The investigation may extend well into 2007.

PRINCE HARRY: Blue and Royal

After entering Sandhurst military academy last year, Prince Harry, 21, vowed not to "sit on my arse while my boys are out fighting for their country." With the announcement on Jan. 25 that he will join the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals regiment after graduation in April, the front lines could beckon at any time. The tank-borne regiment carries out reconnaissance missions in combat zones and has served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. Also known for their prominent role at state occasions, the Blues and Royals perform a service close to Harry's heart: leading troops in protection of his grandmum the Queen.

DI: ORACLE OR ORCA?

British papers have had a field day writing about an American doll whose box reads "Princess of Whales." The 12-in. Di replica, from Texas toy company Toypresidents Inc., utters phrases in Diana's voice such as "I'd like to be a queen of people's hearts" and "There's far too much about me in the newspaper." The doll does not, alas, sing whale songs. Company rep Dwayne Crosby blames the unusual label on an "over sight" that will be corrected in future production runs. "This definitely was not meant as a dig on Princess Diana," he says.