Fayed says UK royals wanted to "get rid of" Diana

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - Luxury storeowner Mohamed al-Fayed said on Monday the death of Princess Diana and his son Dodi in a 1997 Paris car crash was murder and accused the British royal family of wanting to "get rid" of Diana.

In an emotional appearance at the inquest into their deaths, al-Fayed accused Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband and Diana's former father-in-law, of being a "Nazi" and a "racist."

"You want to know his original name -- it ends with Frankenstein," al-Fayed told the court.

He said Diana, divorced from heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had "suffered for 20 years from this Dracula family".

After waiting more than a decade for his day in court, al-Fayed came close to tears, shaking his head and taking a tissue out of his pocket as his voice cracked.

But then later the Egyptian-born tycoon, who alleges that the British security services murdered Diana on Prince Philip's orders, turned angrily on one of the lawyers, accusing him of talking "out of your backside".

French and British police investigations have both concluded their deaths were tragic accidents caused by a speeding driver who was found to have been drunk. Both inquiries rejected al-Fayed's conspiracy theories.

Al-Fayed said of Diana's former husband, Prince Charles: "He participated and I'm sure he knew what was going to happen."