\nParis-based Etoile Limousine owns the Mercedes S-280, which it hired to the Paris Ritz hotel.
\nThe car crashed in the French capital just over 11 years ago, killing Diana, 36, her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed, and driver Henri Paul.
\nThe car is potentially worth as much as 1 million pounds, with ghoulish souvenir hunters offering to buy parts of the mangled wreckage.
\nFor the past three years, the vehicle has been in the hands of the Met Police
\nNow, five months after the Diana inquest returned an unlawful killing verdict, Etoile hopes to get it back.
\n“It’s worth a great deal of money,” the Daily Star quoted company manager Jean-Francois Musa, as saying.
\n“It’s completely illegal that police should have been able to take the car away from us without compensation.
\n“Nobody has the right to dispose of the car except us,” Musa added.
\nHowever, Princess Diana’s children are said to be ‘devastated’ with the dispute over the future of the wreck.
\nAccording to royal sources, the Princes want the death car disposed of ‘privately and discreetly’.
\nMeanwhile, Musa hopes to put pressure on the French police to persuade Scotland Yard to return the car.
\nAnd it may even offer the wreck to Dodi’s father Mohamed Al Fayed.
\n“If I ever finally get the car back the first thing I’ll do is ask Mr Al Fayed if he wants to keep it because of its sentimental value,” he said.
\nA rep for Mr Al Fayed said: “It’s disgusting to think that someone wants to profit from the tragedy.”
\nScotland Yard said: “It is a decision for the French police as to what happens to the vehicle.”
\nMeanwhile, speculation is rife that Prince William might announce an engagement with his girlfriend Kate Middleton soon after the couple was spotted walking together down the aisle at a friend’s wedding for the first time.
\nBoth William and Kate happily posed for photographs at the wedding ceremony they attended as a couple in Austria, with Prince Charles’ bodyguard acting as a protection officer for the second-in-line to the British throne’s ladylove.
\nHowever, rumours of the couple’s wedding have been dispelled by a senior Royal Household source, saying “it’s premature”.
\n“There is a lot of planning involved in a Royal engagement announcement of a member of the family as senior as Prince William. A number of high-profile people have to be informed formally, and the couple have to be introduced to the Prime Minister of the day among others. All this takes time.
\n“As far as I am aware I cannot see there being an engagement between the Prince and Miss Middleton for at least 18 months,” the unnamed source was quoted by the ‘News of the World’ as saying.
\nHe has also dismissed rumours which fuelled speculation of an imminent announcement that the couple were set to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Balmoral this weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"