Di planned global hospice network

Princess Diana wanted to establish a global hospice network and believed it was her destiny to live abroad, the inquest into her death has heard.

London, Dec 21 : Princess Diana wanted to establish a global hospice network and believed it was her "destiny" to live abroad, the inquest into her death has heard.

A British newspaper journalist who was close friends with Diana revealed that she told him of her plans to open a worldwide hospice network with the help of her lover Dodi Al Fayed's father, billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed.

Richard Kay, the Daily Mail's diary editor and former royal reporter, said at the London hearing that Diana told him that the Harrods owner was prepared to fund her project, to be called The Diana Hospices.

Diana revealed her plans to Kay in a phone call just hours before she and Dodi died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

"She told me that she was discussing with Mr Al Fayed senior the possibility of setting up some sort of worldwide hospice network, which she indicated he would be prepared to financially underwrite," The Sun quoted Kay, as saying.

The journalist told the jury that Diana had planned to wind up her royal engagements in late 1997 and dedicate herself to setting up the hospices.

"(She wanted to do) things that she wanted to do rather than what other people wanted to do. It was to be a very major announcement," he said.

Kay also revealed that during their conversation, Diana said she believed it was her "destiny" to leave Britain and live abroad so she could escape the media spotlight.

He said that the princess had even remarked that the "British people must be sick of seeing me in the papers."

Kay added that Diana was puzzled about why Dodi was receiving bad press.

She confided she feared her phone calls were being monitored and that the al Fayed camp could have been leaking details about their whereabouts to the media.

However, Kay confirmed she had spoken to Michael Cole, the Harrods' spokesman, who denied it.

ANI