The father of Princess Diana‘s late boyfriend Dodi Fayed has been accused of rape.
Five women have claimed they were sexually assaulted by Mohamed Al-Fayed while working at his luxury London department store Harrods, according to the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.
The special, which airs Thursday, September 19, features testimonies from more than 20 former female staff members who claim Al-Fayed sexually assaulted them, with the incidents allegedly taking place in London, St. Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Paris.
The documentary alleges that Harrods helped cover up abuse allegations against Al-Fayed, who died in September 2023 at the age of 94. Harrods has since released a statement about how the company is “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed.”
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“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologize,” their statement read. “The Harrods of today is a very different organization to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010. It is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do. This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.”
The statement concluded: “While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organization, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior can never be repeated in the future.”
Beginning three decades ago, Al-Fayed was accused of sexual assault on three separate occasions in 1997, 2008 and 2017. A total of 14 civil lawsuits have been brought against Harrods for damages and the department store’s current owners started settling them in July 2023, according to BBC.
Al-Fayed’s son was in a high-profile romance with Princess Diana when they died in 1997 in a fatal car accident in Paris. The relationship was the subject of season 6 of Netflix’s The Crown, in which Al-Fayed, played by Salim Dau, was shown as playing matchmaker.
Al-Fayed’s former spokesperson Michael Cole addressed the show implying that Al-Fayed introduced his son to Diana in an attempt to obtain British citizenship.
“Netflix and the production company describe The Crown as ‘dramatized fiction’ and I am not going to disagree with that characterization. That means it is made up,” Cole told Deadline after previously denying similar allegations on Mohamed’s behalf in 1997.
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Cole called the assumptions about Al-Fayed’s involvement with the couple “total nonsense,” adding, “Mohamed was a remarkable man in many ways. He was delighted that his eldest son and his family’s dear friend Diana were together. But making two people fall in love with each other? That was beyond even his great talents.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
