Hasnat Khan's statement was read to the coroner's court in London investigating Diana's 1997 death in a car crash in Paris, the Daily Mail reported. Khan said that the princess chose Dodi Fayed because of his money.

The inquest is being held to put to rest Mohammed al-Fayed's claim that the crash that killed Princess Diana and his son was engineered by British intelligence agents at the request of the royal family.

"I think Diana finally realized that al-Fayed could give her all the things I could not," Khan said. "He had money and could provide the necessary security. You never see al-Fayed without six or seven bodyguards."

Khan, a heart surgeon, and Diana met in 1995 when she visited one of his patients. She reportedly described him to friends as "the love of my life."

The surgeon gave a statement to London police in 2004.