The former head of Britain's intelligence agency is looking to dash Princess Diana conspiracy theorists, denying her death was the result of a plot masterminded by James Bond-types.
Testifying Wednesday at the inquest into the 1997 deaths of Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, M16 honcho Sir Richard Dearlove said he could "absolutely confirm" the espionage agency was not behind the fatal car crash in a Paris tunnel.
He also said an assassination operation by rogue agents would have been "impossible."
Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, has accused M16, the Secret Intelligence Service, of engineering the deadly crash under orders from Prince Phllip, a claim Dearlove dismissed as "utterly ridiculous."
He said no one was assassinated either during the time period he served as director of special operations, from 1994 to 1999, or during the period he headed up the agency, from 1999 to 2004.
As for the contention that Prince Phillip and Prince Charles had active links to M16, Dearlove dismissed such theories as "completely off the map."
Dearlove said that as head of special operations, it would have been his responsibility to sign off on any activities that would have otherwise been illegal, such as breaking into offices or receiving stolen documents.
He said no authorizations regarding Princess Diana were ever sought, including for such activities as wiretapping, bugging or surveillance.
An official three-year investigation into the deaths of Diana, Fayed and their chauffeur, Henri Paul, wrapped up in December 2006 with the conclusion that the crash was a tragic accident. No evidence of a murder plot was found.
Paul was determined to have been speeding at the time of the crash and to have over the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream.