Diana's Ex-butler Welcomes Inquest

Dec. 18 -- Princess Diana's former butler is welcoming the news that a formal inquest finally will be held, six years after her death in a Paris car crash.

French investigators have blamed the Aug. 31, 1997, crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales, and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, on their driver, Henri Paul. Authorities said Paul, who also died in the crash, was drunk and speeding. But Fayed's father, billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, has said he believes the princess was killed because she was dating his son, a Muslim.

Today, the British royal family's coroner said separate inquests into the deaths of the princess and Dodi Fayed would be held on Jan. 6.

Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler and confidant, who has said the princess predicted she would die in a rigged car accident, said he is glad an inquest will finally be held.

"The news of an inquest is what I've always maintained was necessary," Burrell said. "It is what I've always wanted."

In an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS' Barbara Walters earlier this year, Burrell said that 10 months before the deadly crash, Diana had sent him a letter in which she predicted her own death, claiming that someone was planning a car accident in which she would be killed.

"An inquest is long overdue," Burrell told ABCNEWS today. "The inquiry should be far-reaching and should include the circumstances surrounding the princess's death, and not merely focus on the cause of her death. Anyone who loved the princess should welcome this development."

Burrell, whom the princess called "my rock," has been criticized by her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, for going public with secrets about their mother's private life. The ex-butler recently published a book, A Royal Duty.