Third coroner to lead Diana inquest

Appeal court judge Lord Justice Scott Baker, 69, will take the reins in the inquest in June when Baroness Butler-Sloss steps down from the high-profile position.

One of Britain's most senior judges, Lord Justice Scott Baker will become the third person to take charge. The original coroner Michael Burgess quit in July last year blaming a "heavy and constant" workload.

But he will technically become the fourth coroner to deal with Diana's death. The royal coroner in 1997, Dr John Burton, assumed responsibility for the Princess's body following the crash, but retired in 2002.

Lady Butler-Sloss said on Tuesday that she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury.

"This was a decision I took in the interests of the inquests after a great deal of thought and reflection," she said. "These inquests now require a jury, and I do not have the degree of experience of jury cases that I feel is necessary and appropriate for presiding over inquests of this level of public interest."

Lady Butler-Sloss, Britain's former top woman judge who came out of retirement to take on the role, has suffered a series of problems since taking on the job.

In December, she backed down on holding the inquests' preliminary hearings in private. She suffered a significant setback last month when Dodi's father Mohamed al Fayed won a judicial review against her decision to sit alone on the high-profile case and not to appoint a jury. In the High Court, three senior judges overturned her ruling.

She also widened her remit to include Diana's alleged fears for her life, the suggestion that she was pregnant, the embalming of the princess's body and claims Dodi had brought Diana a ring.

Lady Butler-Sloss said she would preside over the pre-inquest hearings until Lord Justice Scott Baker took up his appointment in June.