Burrell told to ‘hotfoot’ it home to get proof

Paul Burrell, former butler to the Princess of Wales, was due to resume his evidence today at the inquest into Diana and Dodi Fayed's deaths in 1997 after being ordered by the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, to "hotfoot" it back to his Cheshire home last night to find evidence to support his assertion that he had been told various secrets by the Princess of Wales. Michael Mansfield QC, representing Dodi's father Mohamed Fayed, asked Burrell about "one final secret" that Diana had apparently told him. Burrell, sporting a Florida tan, grew flustered. "I know many secrets," he protested. "I can't remember what that particular secret was."

It transpired that notes Burrell had previously claimed to have written in his journal - including verbatim quotes from the Duke of Edinburgh - were written on scraps of paper and subsequently destroyed. But personal letters remain at Burrell's home in Cheshire - and these are what the coroner wants to see today.

Earlier Burrell told the inquest that Dodi Fayed was not "the one" for Diana. He told how the relationship blossomed during the final month of Diana's life in 1997. He described it as an "exciting time" for the Princess. However the former aide – who once famously claimed that Diana called him her 'rock' - cast doubt on the idea that the couple were poised to announce their engagement when they were killed.

Burrell said that he did not believe the couple's romance had begun during a holiday on Mohamed Fayed's yacht at the end of July 1997, as is widely believed, but only after their return. He said that although the couple had been in frequent contact after Diana's return to London, he was aware of Dodi visiting Kensington Palace only once during that time.

Asked by Ian Burnett QC, representing the inquest, about the nature of the relationship by mid-August, Burrell replied: "It was very fresh, new and exciting." Mr Burnett went on: "By that stage had you any sense from the Princess that... to use a hackneyed phrase that has appeared in so many media reports, Dodi was 'the one'?" The former butler said: "No, I didn't have that impression."

Burrell, who claimed of his relationship with Diana and her circle that he was "at the hub of the wheel and everyone else was on a spoke", said that Dr Hasnat Khan, the heart surgeon with whom she enjoyed a long affair, was the man she wanted to marry. He claimed Diana had once asked him to talk to his parish priest about whether it was possible for a 'private marriage' to be arranged for her and Hasnat Khan.

Asked about Diana's relationship with her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, Burrell claimed she had been derogatory about her daughter and accused her of "messing around" with Muslim men.