London, Dec 6: Dodi Al Fayed’s former butler has revealed that he saw his boss down on one knee touching Princess Diana’s belly, hours before the couple died ten years ago.

Rene Delorm also told the ongoing inquest into the couple’s death that Dodi had ordered him to arrange champagne because he was going to propose to the princess.

Speaking by video-link from Los Angeles, Delorm told the London hearing that he once spoke to Dodi of the possibility that he might become stepfather to the future king.

Delorm, who was among a party who returned to Dodi’s flat in Paris on the afternoon of Aug 30 1997 after a cruise on the Fayed family’s yacht, also claimed he had witnessed Dodi and Diana going into a jeweller's shop in Monte Carlo earlier in the summer of 1997.

He went on to say that he had looked in on the couple regularly and claimed that he had seen them dancing in the apartment.

On another visit he said that he had seen Dodi kneeling in front of the princess with his hand around her tummy.

Earlier, Claude Roulet, assistant to the president of Paris’ Ritz hotel, told how he had taken a collection of jewellery from exclusive store Repossi to Dodi’s suite.

“He asked me first to speak very low because the Princess was in the next room,” The Sun quoted Roulet, as saying.

Dodi browsed through rings, bracelets and watches and finally picked an 11,500 pounds ring called “Dis-moi Oui” — or Tell Me Yes. (ANI)