Mr Dodi Al-Fayed said just hours before his death he was deeply in love with the Princess of Wales and they planned to marry, a relative of the Harrods heir told a newspaper. Mr Hussein Yassin said he talked to Mr al-Fayed at the Ritz in Paris about four hours before the fatal crash.
Mr Yassin asked Mr al-Fayed what was happening in the relationship with the princess, the London-based Arabic daily, Asharq al-Awsat, said.
"Dodi said that they were deeply in love and that the relationship was serious and they have decided to get married," it quoted Mr Yassin as saying.
"We have to announce this, we will announce it," Mr al-Fayed told him.
Mr Yassin said he had agreed with Mr al-Fayed to meet at the hotel, where Mr Yassin was also staying, at 11 p.m. that night but Mr al-Fayed called him and said the hotel was packed with photographers.
"We are leaving. Let's meet tomorrow at 9 a.m.," Mr al-Fayed told him.
Mr Yassin is the brother of Mr al-Fayed's stepfather, Mr Anis Yassin, who was married to his Saudi mother, Samira, who was the sister of the Saudi billionaire, Mr Adnan Kashoggi.