Investigators search for clues in the Paris underpass

Test Confirms Diana's Driver Was Drunk

Police sources say 1.8 grammes of alcohol per litre of blood was found, dashing hopes of clearing Henri Paul's name.

The deputy head of security at the Ritz hotel in Paris was called to drive Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed on the fateful night when the couple were trying to shake off the paparazzi.

A security video shows Mr Paul arrive at the Ritz Hotel

But the Fayed family and Mr Paul's own relatives both challenged two official post-mortem blood tests which recorded alcohol levels of 1.75 and then 1.87 grammes - far above the 0.5 limit set in France for a misdemeanour and the 0.8 ceiling which triggers a criminal offence.

Mohamed Al Fayed's spokesman, Michael Cole, defended the request for another blood test on Mr Paul's body.

Al Fayed spokesman Michael Cole: "We just want the truth"

"We are only seeking to establish the full facts so that everyone can know what went on," he said. Mr Cole continued: "We have no brief to defend the indefensible. We have not seen the report and we will be seeking professional advice."

Police and crash investigators in Paris bowed to pressure for a third blood test after the Fayed family produced Ritz hotel security video evidence that Mr Paul was in the hotel from about 10pm on the night of the crash until about midnight, when he left to drive the couple to Dodi Fayed's flat on the Champs Elysées.

Last week, Mr Cole said the video showed that Mr Paul was not trawling the bars of Paris until late on the fateful night as was claimed in some reports. And Paris regulars at bars near his modest apartment, a short drive from the Ritz, confirmed that he was not known as a drinker.

But inquiry officials say they consider the latest blood test to be the last unequivocal confirmation that Mr Paul had drunk the equivalent of one and a half bottles of wine.

The results came after the two inquiry judges, Herve Stephan and Marie-Christian Davidal, visited the crash site at the Pond d'Alma for the first time on Tuesday.

Confusion remains, however, over the exact speed of the car and the role of the paparazzi, nine of whom are now on bail facing manslaughter charges.

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