Caution urged on Burrell evidence

Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker slapped a warning on how the panel's six women and five men should handle the comments after he said it was "blindingly obvious" the ex-aide had not told the hearing the truth.

But he advised the jury that although they may believe his behaviour "has been pretty shabby" it had no bearing on how Diana and Dodi Fayed met their deaths in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The coroner told the jury: "I advise you to proceed with caution especially if you are left with the impression that he only told you what he wanted you to hear."

He added: "The fact that he has not told you the truth on some occasions does not mean you cannot accept anything he has told you, but you should proceed with caution."

Mr Burrell, 49, has refused to return to the inquest sitting at the High Court in central London to answer allegations that he lied to the jury.

After giving evidence in January, he was filmed in New York claiming that, despite being under oath, he had not told the whole truth.

British newspapers published his remarks in full.

The coroner, asked him to return and explain himself, but as Mr Burrell now lives mainly in Florida he is outside the jurisdiction of an English court and cannot be compelled to appear.

He alleged in the filmed interview he had not told the full story of what he claimed was a three-hour discussion with the Queen where she told him "there are powers at work in this country of which we have no knowledge". He also said that he had laid "a couple of red herrings".