The former head of MI6 admitted today that the intelligence service can be granted the power to assassinate people, but gave a point-blank denial that Diana, Princess of Wales had been executed by secret agents.

Sir Richard Dearlove revealed his fury at the "personal allegations" when he attended the inquest in a rare exception to the rule within the intelligence services never to comment on any claims made against it.

He admitted that Secret Intelligence Service agents are able to use "lethal force" but only with authorisation.

(Article continues below)

Sir Richard described how, under laws governing the SIS, the service requires authorisation from the Foreign Secretary to carry out any operation that would involve breaking the law, such as bugging or assassination.

No authorisation was given to do any of those things in respect of Diana, he said, and he took the opportunity to express his anger at claims made by Mohammed al Fayed.

Sir Richard worked for the SIS or MI6 in various roles, both at home and abroad, between 1966 until his retirement in 2004 as its chief.

Ian Burnett QC, for the coroner, asked: "During the whole of your time in SIS, from 1966 to 2004, were you ever aware of the service assassinating anyone?"

Sir Richard replied: "No, I was not."

Mr Burnett also went on: "No assassinations under your authority in any of those posts?"

"No," Sir Richard said firmly.

Sir Richard's appearance is to rebut claims made by Mr al Fayed that Diana and his son Dodi were killed by MI6 on the orders of the Duke of Edinburgh because she was pregnant with Dodi's child and the couple were about to get engaged.

Sir Richard told the jury that this was a "very personal allegation" considering he was head of MI6 at the time of the fatal Paris car crash in August 1997, which killed Diana, Dodi and their driver Henri Paul.

Sir Richard said it was "utterly ridiculous" to claim that Prince Philip and Prince Charles were active members of MI6.

He also denied as "absurd" the claim by Mohamed al Fayed that the security services really run the country with Prince Philip.

Mr Burnett said: "It is suggested that Prince Philip and the intelligence agencies really run this country and that we are not a Parliamentary democracy."

Sir Richard replied: "I do not want to be flippant. I'm tempted to say I'm flattered, but this is such an absurd allegation that it is difficult to deal with...

"It's completely off the map. I cannot think of any other way of saying it."

He said the claim that MI6 could control a conspiracy involving the French police, emergency and forensic services was "a mischievous and fanciful allegation".

Sir Richard said Prince Philip's relationship with the Secret Intelligence Service was "absolutely nothing of substance".

Prince Philip's only contact with the agency was during visits to their offices as the Queen's consort, he said.

Sir Richard told the inquest he was on holiday in the US on August 23, 1997,but had secure phone contact with London.

Mr Burnett said: "Was there any operation of any kind made against or in respect of the Princess of Wales or Dodi Fayed during that summer?"

Sir Richard: "Absolutely not".

Mr Burnett: "That includes all such things as eavesdropping, surveillance, bugging - anything that anyone could think?

Sir Richard: "Everything."

Mr Burnett said: "With what degree of confidence are you able to tell the jury of that fact?"

Sir Richard replied: "Complete confidence".

Mr Burnett read to him sections of a report from the Intelligence Services Commissioner from that year which collated all the authorisations given to the service. None referred to Princess Diana.

Mr Burnett said: "Are you able to confirm from your own knowledge it follows from what you have said, that no authorisation was sought in respect of any activities concerning Princess Diana?"

Sir Richard replied: "I can absolutely confirm that."

Mr Burnett continued: "And it would plainly have been outside the functions of SIS to do so?"

Sir Richard: "Had it been, then it would have been outside the functions of the service."

Mr Burnett: "And thus the conclusions of the commissioner confirm that?"

Sir Richard: "They do."

MI6 operates on a need-to-know basis to control the spread of sensitive information to those needing it for specific activities.

Sir Richard said that from 1993, when he was a senior MI6 official and sat on the SIS board, through to 2004 he had access to sensitive material and how it related to other people's work.

He suggested that an assassination plan would not have gone unnoticed by him.

Sir Richard said: "I think I can say with confidence from when I became a member of the board of SIS, and from the time when I was deputy head of personnel (from 1984 to 1987), I had a very extensive knowledge of the service."

He also wanted to draw a line under two claims that rogue elements within the intelligence services have plotted to assassinate high-profile political figures.

Sir Richard said it just would not happen in line with the guiding principle that assassination plays no part in Her Majesty's secret services.

Both claims have come from renegade former British agents.

The first, repeated at the hearing, came from former MI6 spy Richard Tomlinson. He says that a colleague drew up detailed plans to kill a top Balkan leader suspected of genocide to prevent him coming to power.

The agent, named only as "A", drew up the assassination plan for MI6 around 1993, Mr Tomlinson has told the inquest.

The other, from former MI5 officer David Shayler, is that SIS (Secret Intelligence Service) along with one of its Libyan agents was involved in a plot to kill Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.

Sir Richard stated that the Balkan plot, mentioned by Mr Tomlinson, was "killed stone dead" after it was put down on paper.

The idea was "out of touch with service practice, service ethos and it was not a proposal which consideration would be given," Sir Richard claimed.

But Ian Burnett QC, for the coroner, asked: "The question arises is that if you are saying that SIS does not contemplate assassination that one of its officers could have raised the possibility and committed it to writing?"

Sir Richard agreed it was a "very unusual event", commenting "the service does not control the thoughts of its officers".

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE