London, Nov 27: The relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed did not extend beyond "friendship, ” the inquest into their deaths has heard.

Diana’s driver Colin Tebbutt downplayed suggestions that the princess was preparing to announce her engagement to Mohamed Al Fayed's son, by telling the jury that the two were just friends.

Tebbutt told the hearing that Diana was only "enjoying his company" and their relationship did not extend beyond "friendship".

"I think she was enjoying his company. She never mentioned to me in respect of a forthcoming engagement to Dodi Fayed or a major change in her life, ” the Daily Mail quoted him, as saying.

"In my opinion she was enjoying a friendship, a holiday, and using the Al Fayed organisation's helicopter and aeroplane. These facilities made getting in and out of the country a lot easier than Heathrow where press intrusion was virtually guaranteed, ” he added.

Tebbutt also contradicted claims by Dodi’s father Mohamed Al Fayed, that MI6 ordered Diana’s body to be embalmed to hide a pregnancy.

He told the jury that the princess was embalmed because he wanted her to look "like the beautiful woman she was" when her family came to pay their last respects.

Tebbutt, who flew to Paris with butler Paul Burrell a few hours after her death, said he urged French funeral directors to "do whatever you do" to make the princess presentable for the arrival of Prince Charles and other family members.

It was his concerns over the state of Diana's body, which led to embalming experts being pulled in.

"It is a very emotional time, to walk in and see your boss lying like she was. She looked old, her mouth was down, not a lot of damage to her face, but she had that 'I do not want to be here' look, ” he said.

"To me it was... about wanting to see her looking like the beautiful woman she was. That was all I was concerned about, nothing else, ” he added.

Earlier, Dr Robert Chapman, a pathologist who carried out the post-mortem on the princess on the night she died, told the jury that Diana’s womb and ovaries did not show any signs of pregnancy.

However, he did say that the signs would not necessarily be very visible in the few weeks following conception.

Diana, Dodi and their driver Henri Paul were killed when their car hit a pillar Paris' Pont d'Alma underpass in the early hours of August 311997. (ANI)