France to pay Fayed 5000 Euros for 'unnecessary delays' after Diana's death

French authorities must pay Mohamed Al Fayed €5,000 euros (£4,600) after a court ruled that the government was responsible for "unnecessary delays" following the fatal car crash of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Mr Fayed, the billionaire owner of Harrods department store, has long claimed the princess and his son, Dodi, were murdered as part of an establishment plot.

He said he was delighted with Friday's ruling, which said delays to an inquiry into the 1997 crash in Paris had amounted to a "denial of justice".

Mr Fayed brought a case against the French state in 2007 after a judge dismissed a challenge to the original inquest ruling that the crash had been caused by chauffeur Henri Paul's drunkenness.

The billionaire argued the case had been slowed by mistakes made by the judge in charge.