Mohamed Al-Fayed was a prominent Egyptian businessman who passed away in August 2023. He previously owned luxury department store Harrods and London football team Fulham, and the Hôtel Ritz Paris was in his name until he died.
Mohamed’s son Dodi Fayed was in a relationship with Princess Diana when they were in a fatal car crash in Paris in 1997, which resulted in both their deaths.
Mohamed Al-Fayed is the focus of a new BBC documentary and podcast, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, which lays bare harrowing accusations against him of sexual assault and rape. The corporation has heard from more than 20 female ex-Harrods employees who claim that Mohamed sexually assaulted them, including accusations of rape.
Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods is understood to have gathered evidence that the famous luxury department store helped cover up abuse allegations and failed to intervene.
Mohamed Al-Fayed: Sexual assault accusations explained
Several women have waived their right to anonymity to be filmed for new documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods. According to the BBC, five women have claimed that Mohamed raped them during their employment at Harrods, with incidents reported to have occurred in London, Paris, St Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
Recounting her experience, which she alleged occurred when she was a teenager, one woman said, ‘Mohamed Al-Fayed was a monster, a sexual predator with no moral compass whatsoever. We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear. If he said “jump” employees would ask “how high”.’
The BBC are under the impression that Mohamed faced sexual assault allegations while he was alive and that there are many more women who may have been assaulted.
Several other women also contributed to Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, with one claiming that Mohamed raped her and told her to wash herself with Dettol afterwards. She said, ‘Obviously he wanted me to erase any trace of him being anywhere near me.’
The current owners of Harrods said they were ‘utterly appalled’ by the allegations and said the victims had been failed – which they apologised for.
Bruce Drummond, from a legal team representing several of the women, said, ‘The spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark.’
Who owns Harrods now and how much did it sell for?
Back in 2010, it was announced that Mohamed had sold Harrods to Qatar Holdings for £1.5 billion. The sale came as a surprise to many considering the businessman had been open about his attachment to the department store - even once claiming he wanted to be entombed on the roof. Harrods was also home to a display in honour of Dodi and Diana, including a bronze statue of the couple dancing.
Opening up about the move, Mohamed said, 'It came at a moment where I felt absolutely disillusioned. Of course it makes me sad, but first of all, I can't take this. I am 77 years old. I have children, I have grandchildren. I have done it, and time for me now to rest and enjoy.'
When did Mohamed Al-Fayed die?
Mohamed died on 30 August 2023, aged 94.
What was the cause of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s death?
The cause of Mohamed’s death was listed as old age. In a statement released by Fulham FC, his family said on 1 September 2023: 'Mrs Mohamed Al-Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday 30 August 2023.
‘He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones. The family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time.’
When was Mohamed Al-Fayed born?
Mohamed's birth year has been widely disputed, but the Department of Trade found his date of birth to be 27 January 1929. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and was the eldest son of a primary school teacher.
Was Mohamed Al-Fayed denied British citizenship?
Yes, twice, respectively in 1995 and 1999, on the basis of failing the Home Office’s ‘good character’ test. This is believed to be related to his ‘cash for questions’ payments he made to two Conservative MPs. Mohamed coughed up £2000 to them each to ask questions in Parliament on Harrods' behalf, which was never declared.
The questions were asked in the late 1980s but the story emerged in 1994 when Mohamed named the politicians in the press.
Who is Mohamed Al-Fayed's wife?
Mohamed was married to Saudi Arabian author Samira Khashoggi from 1954 until 1956.
The businessman went on to wed Finnish model and socialite Heini Wathén almost three decades after his divorce in 1985.
Heini – who was an officer for The Ritz Hotel in London is 69 years old. She and Mohamed met via his son Dodi Fayed at a Miss Finland contest, where the younger Fayed was seeking new models in the European country. Mohamed and Heini were introduced in Paris and it wasn’t long before she moved into his Park Lane home. They later relocated to Surrey but also had a Finnish mansion within their property portfolio.
Does Mohamed Al-Fayed have children?
Mohamed was a dad of five. He shared the late Dodi with Samira and had four children with Heini: Jasmine, 43, Karim, 39, Camilla, 39, and Omar, 35.
According to reports, Mohamed’s four children with Heidi are embroiled in a battle over their father’s inheritance.
In May, Camilla pled not guilty to robbing her younger brother Omar’s £1900 iPhone. She was accused of taking the device from the gym in the Al-Fayed’s listed estate Barrow Green Court, in Surrey, on 18 May 2020. Camilla’s husband Mohamad Esreb, in addition to their protection officers Matthew Littlewood and Andrew Bott have also been accused of a single count of robbery in relation to the alleged incident.
Mohamed and Andrew also pleaded not guilty at May's hearing and Matthew will be arraigned at a later date. A trial date was set at a previous hearing and is scheduled for 3 February 2025. It's expected to last three weeks.
Mohamed Al-Fayed’s career and net worth
In November 2022, Mohamed's wealth was estimated to be around $1.9billion (£1.6billion), which he began to amass after founding a shipping company with his brothers in Egypt. The headquarters later moved to Italy. In the mid-60s, he built up a relationship with Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, who reportedly introduced him to British construction and property development companies. The magnate proceeded to buy the Ritz hotel in Paris in 1979, obtain House of Fraser (which then owned Harrods) with his brothers in 1985, and purchase Fulham Football Club in 1997.
Is Mohamed Al-Fayed in season six of The Crown?
The Crown season six launched on Netflix in November 2023, with actor Salim Dau making a bold return as the Harrods businessman and father of Dodi Fayed.
Opening up about playing Mohamed, Salim said, 'I adore this character. I love him so much and I enjoy portraying him because I love him. In this series, he is so human and he's so colourful. He’s hard sometimes, very hard, funny, like a child - with his son he’s sometimes very, very hard but he has plenty of love for his son and the audience will see that and will feel exactly what I’m talking about.'
But the glowing portrayal of Mohamed in The Crown has infuriated his alleged sexual victims. ‘That makes me angry, people shouldn't remember him like that. It's not how he was,’ one said.
In part one, he is shown to meddle heavily in his son and Princess Diana's relationship – breaking up Dodi's existing engagement with Kelly Fisher in the process. His character begs his son to tie down the Princess and propose to her, saying it would eclipse anything he has achieved in his life.
We then see Mohamed find out about the fatal car crash in August 1997 that killed his son, Princess Diana and their driver. Mohamed then urges the royal family to include him and his family in their mourning and for the world to recognise Dodi's death too.
In part two of The Crown season six we saw him launch a ten-year inquiry into their death.
How did Mohamed Al-Fayed meet Princess Diana?
Although in season five of The Crown Mohamed is seen meeting Diana at a polo match, it is not known exactly where they first crossed paths in reality. Mohamed is the matchmaker behind his son's ill-fated relationship with her in 1997.
Mohamed and the late Princess of Wales had a good relationship, with the former director of public affairs at Harrods, Michael Cole, saying in 1995, 'Diana is so easygoing with Mohamed. Mohamed is not one of those who's overwhelmed by her. They spark off each other very well.'
In the summer of 1997, Mohamed invited Diana and her sons Prince William and Harry to holiday on his yacht in the south of France - which is where her romance with Dodi blossomed.
On 31 August, Dodi and Diana were killed in a car crash at the Pont de l'Alma underpass in Paris, aged 42 and 36 respectively.
In the wake of their deaths, Mohamed accused MI6 of killing the couple on the orders of Prince Philip, who he claimed would never allow a Muslim to marry into the Royal Family. Years of legal battles concluded in 2008 when Mohamed accepted the jury's verdict: that they were unlawfully killed by grossly negligent driving.
Mohamed Al-Fayed and the inquiry into Princess Diana's death
Following their deaths, Mohamed Al Fayed was convinced Dodi and Diana were killed in a conspiracy masterminded by the British establishment and Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
By his estimations, Dodi and Diana were engaged (he also said that Diana was pregnant) and the royal family set up the accident because they did not like the idea of Diana dating a Muslim or an Egyptian.
His 69-day inquest concluded that Diana and Dodi died because of the reckless actions of their driver - an employee of the Ritz Hotel owned by Mohamed - and paparazzi chasing the couple. Separate inquiries in the UK and France also concluded there was no conspiracy.
Mohamed continued to campaign against the royal family for years, until he finally closed the chapter for the sake of Prince William and Prince Harry.
Did Mohamed Al-Fayed go to Diana’s funeral?
Yes, he was in attendance at her funeral in Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997, alongside his wife Heini.
What is Mohamed Al-Fayed's connection to Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson?
In the opening scenes of season five, episode three, of The Crown, Mohamed is fascinated when Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson visit Egypt. After purchasing The Ritz, he tells Dodi to dismiss a Black server (Sydney Johnson, played by Jude Akuwudike) but when he learns that he was in fact the Duke of Windsor's personal valet for 30 years, Mohamed hires him as his own valet. Sydney turns out to be an incredible asset to the businessman by teaching him the ways of the Royal Family.
Following Wallis' death in 1986, Mohamed took out a 50-year lease on the Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s French home, Le Bois, in Bois de Boulogne. He intended to turn it into an honorary museum for the former King (who passed in 1976) and his wife.
After completing a £10.4 million restoration on the renamed Villa Windsor in 1990, Mohamed said, 'It’s like a mausoleum. It sometimes gives you the creeps - both of them having died here. But it’s still a happy place, a great fantasy which I love to live in.'
Millie Payne is a News and Entertainment Writer for Grazia. She has specialised in showbiz interviews, features, articles and roundups for over three years and loves combining her love for writing, talking and all things popular culture.