Jury shown pictures of dying Diana

The stark images, many shot within moments of the crash, capture the scene inside the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris on August 31 1997.

Although the photographs have been heavily pixellated, the Princess's distinctive blonde hair, white trousers and dark jacket can be made out in several. She is visible, curled on the floor of the car next to the passenger door with her head against the seat in front, facing backwards as off-duty doctor Frederic Mailliez struggles to save her life.

Diana's lover Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul were killed outright while the Princess died a few hours later. Bodyguard Trevor Rees was the only survivor. The pictures, most of which were from negatives seized by French police, include shots of the outside of the smoking car taken before the first emergency workers were on the scene.

The jury sitting at the High Court in London was told that photographers began taking pictures before anyone had even opened the doors to help. Scores of images show the occupants inside the vehicle, with bystanders and photographers looking on.

Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed, Dodi's father, sat quietly flicking through the bundle of photographs for around 10 minutes during the hearing. Inspector Paul Carpenter, of the Metropolitan Police, talked the jury through 144 pages of images - covering the crash scene as well as the couple's departure from the Ritz Hotel minutes earlier.

They included one of the last clear pictures of Diana, a shot taken by Jacques Langevin as she stepped into the Mercedes, trying to shield her face from the flashbulbs. Mr Carpenter told the court that police had no photographs of the journey itself.

Mr Langevin was among those who took photographs inside the tunnel after the crash alongside fellow paparazzi Serge Arnal, Serge Benhamou, Christian Martinez, Romuald Rat, Laslo Veres, David Odekerken and Fabrice Chassery.

Michael Mansfield QC, representing Mr al Fayed, told the court after the pictures were produced in evidence: "It is perfectly clear from the photographs the jury has been through that the paparazzi who were present at the scene of the crash had no compunction about taking photographs of the victims both inside the car and being carried outside the car."

Many of the images show the paparazzi themselves surrounding the wreck as Dr Mailliez and emergency services are at work. In one, photographer Romuald Rat is squatting down next to the open door of the Mercedes, moments after the crash. The inquest continues on Monday.