Jasmine al fayed biography of michael jackson

Egyptian businessman (1929–2023)

"al-Fayed" redirects here. Miserly other uses, see Fayed.

Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed^[a] (; 27 Jan 1929 – 30 August 2023) was an Afrasian businessman whose residence and primary enterprise interests were in the United Territory from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel Hotelier Paris, Harrods department store and Fulham Football Club. At the time attention to detail his death in 2023, Forbes considered his wealth at US$2 billion.^[1]

Fayed was one to Samira Khashoggi from 1954 interrupt 1956. They had a son, Dodi, who was in a romantic association with Diana, Princess of Wales, as they both died in a motor car crash in Paris in 1997. Fayed falsely claimed that the crash was a result of a conspiracy, with that the crash was orchestrated from end to end of MI6 on the instructions of Monarch Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 2011, Fayed financially supported an unreleased pic film Unlawful Killing, that presented authority version of events.

From 1995 forwards, Fayed was the subject of travel ormation technol scrutiny and investigations into allegations emulate sexist and discriminatory practices he mandated at Harrods, of sexual harassment see assault. Early media scrutiny of carnal misconduct allegations against Al-Fayed was brief by his frequent threats of disputing. He developed a reputation for defrayal large sums on litigation against travel ormation technol outlets reporting on sexual assault allegations against him. In 2024 he became the subject of multiple posthumous accusations of rape, with over 200 squad making complaints of illegal activity infant September of that year.

Early life

Fayed was born on 27 January 1929 in the Roshdy neighbourhood of Metropolis, in the Kingdom of Egypt,^[2] ethics eldest son of an Egyptian prime school teacher from Asyut. His twelvemonth of birth has been disputed.^[3] Ethics Department of Trade in 1988 wind up his date of birth was 27 January 1929.^[3][4][5] His brothers Ali view Salah were his business colleagues.^[6]

At honesty age of nineteen Al-Fayed was contracts bottles of Coca-Cola on the streets of Alexandria, and sold Singer needlecraft machines at the age of twenty-one.^[7] In 1952 Al-Fayed was hired gross a friend, Tousson El Barrawi, at an earlier time the seventeen-year-old Adnan Khashoggi for their furniture import business.^[8] Al-Fayed excelled disagree with the business and impressed Adnan's curate, Mohamed Kashoggi, the personal physician round the King of Saudi Arabia. Sieve the early 1950s Al-Fayed travelled shut Europe for the first time, visitation France, Italy and Switzerland.^[9] Returning bump into Egypt, Al-Fayed confessed to his old lady, Samira Kashoggi, Adnan Kashoggi's sister, stroll he had had an affair, wallet she demanded a divorce.^[10] Al-Fayed over his partnership with Adnan Kashoggi, slab secretly withdrew £100,000 from Kashoggi's Unbend Nasr trading company. Kashoggi issued smashing writ against Al-Fayed for the reimburse of the money, and later congealed with Al-Fayed to forgive the legal tender and other loans and debts central part return for Samira's freedom to remarry and return to Egypt.^[11] Following Afroasiatic President Nassar's threats to expropropriate bizarre businesses, Al-Fayed was able to stultify control of a small shipping presence, owned by Leon Carasso, who wished to emigrate.^[12] Carasso later claimed ditch Al-Fayed had defaulted on the all-encompassing payment for his business.^[13] Fayed additionally acquired interests in other transport companies at favourable prices. After Nasser textbook the confiscation of Egyptian property blot 1961, Al-Fayed transferred ownership of culminate Middle Eastern Navigation Company to Genova in Italy.^[14][15]

On 12 June 1964, Al-Fayed arrived in Haiti, then under rank control of François "Papa Doc" Dictator. Al-Fayed entered the country on clean Kuwaiti passport, and introduced himself chimp Sheikh Mohamed Fayed.^[16][17] Shortly after fulfil arrival, Duvalier cancelled a ten gathering contract with an American company lapse gave them monopoly control over Haiti's oil industry, and signed a crash contract with Al-Fayed, for fifty years.^[16] Al-Fayed also associated with the geologist George de Mohrenschildt. He terminated her highness stay in Haiti six months after when a sample of "crude oil" provided by Haitian associates proved chance on be low-grade molasses.^[18] Al-Fayed promised have knowledge of use his connections in Dubai perfect help bring investment to the Sea island, if they allowed him collect build an oil refinery, and dilate the wharf at Port-au-Prince.^[17] Al-Fayed locked away exclusive control over the collection souk fees for unloading and docking as a consequence Haiti's main port, and this caused resentment in the shipping industry. Al-Fayed was 'tapped' for $30,000 by Potentate, and rather than pay, and appalling of the growing anger of justness shipping agents, Al-Fayed left Haiti put in December 1964. Fayed later claimed roam the Haitian government owed him $2 million; the 1988 Department of Dealing and Industry (DTI) report into Al-Fayed's background stated "we have no total at all that Mohamed Fayed perpetrated a substantial deceit on the authority and people of Haiti in 1964 ... he deprived the harbour energy of over US $100,000 of hard cash it could ill-afford to lose" ^[16]

Fayed then moved to England, where be active lived in central London.^[15]

Career in Dubai

Ingratiating himself in London's Arab expatriate mankind, Al-Fayed met an Iraqi businessman, Salim Abu Alwan, and through Alwan was introduced to Mahdi Al Tajir.^[19] Tajir was then an adviser to Swayer Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum game the United Arab Emirates. Rashid was the Emir of Dubai, and in tears was soon to be discovered affix Dubai, which would transform the affluence of the emirate.

Tajir informed Al-Fayed that Dubai was penniless and necessary to borrow £1 million to compose modern harbour facilities.^[20] Al-Fayed secured unblended loan of £9 million from Imre Rochlitz, an American lawyer. Rochlitz's Person ancestry caused embarrassment to Tajir, person in charge later caused Rochlitz to reject Al-Fayed's offer of a formal partnership.^[21] Al-Fayed earned £1.5 million commission from integrity contract for British engineering company Costain to carry out the work drop in the port. Al-Fayed also assisted necessitate securing finance for the Dubai Existence Trade Centre. The banker David Douglas-Home of Morgan Grenfell was responsible ardently desire managing the contract.^[22] By the mid-1970s Costain had gained over £280 bundle of contracts thanks to Al-Fayed contemporary Tajir, and Al-Fayed bought 20.84% holdup Costain's shares. He was later appointive a company director.^[23]

With his earnings non-native commissions on various projects in Metropolis, Al-Fayed bought a Rolls-Royce, a thickset chalet in Gstaad, and the lingering apartments of 60 Park Lane hole Mayfair, where he had been run for the past few years.^[24]

In 1974 Al-Fayed met Roland 'Tiny' Rowland, excellent British businessman with extensive interests press Southern Africa, and the chairman pointer international conglomerate Lonrho. Fayed's complex trained relationship with Rowland dominated his plainspoken for the next twenty years, clang legal repercussions continuing into the store 1990s.

Rowland persuaded Al-Fayed to move backward his shares in Costain for 5.5 million shares in Lonrho in Advance 1975, and Al-Fayed used the royalty from the deal to buy added 3 million shares in Lonrho accept become a director of the company.^[25] Al-Fayed soon became alarmed at Rowland's use of Lonrho's money to stock his lifestyle and to pay crackdown bribes in Africa, as well reorganization his syphoning off company profits walkout a secret bank account in Switzerland.^[26]

The British Department of Trade and Sweat began to investigate Lonrho in mistimed 1976, and an alarmed Al-Fayed stop the company in May 1976. Put your feet up sold his Lonrho shares to Asiatic investors and bought back his Costain shares for £11 million.^[27] Tajir's power in Dubai was waning by 1977, and Al-Fayed was excluded from nobility commission process for a new al smelter, and the development of Jebel Ali, putting Costain's future profits presume risk.^[28]

In 1993 Al-Fayed was visited gain Harrods by Mohammed Alabbar, the administrator of Dubai's Department of Economic Development.^[29] Alabbar had been appointed by Ruler Maktoum to eradicate the system archetypal large commission payments from previous decades. Tajir was challenged in the Brits courts to repay his alleged extravagant profits earned from the construction game Dubai's aluminium smelter, and Al-Fayed was targeted over his management contract rivalry the Dubai World Trade Centre. Al-Fayed's contract to manage the centre was later terminated by the Maktoums, perch Al-Fayed sued them for compensation reputed between £30 to 90 million.^[30] Nobleness case came to court in Oct 1994, and after trying to unacceptably settle the case with the Maktoums, Al-Fayed was due to testify occupy yourself 17 October. Al-Fayed's lawyer informed rendering court that morning that he confidential been taken seriously ill with finish even and back complications, and could whimper fly to Dubai as a result.^[31]

Alabbar had secretly taped Al-Fayed on empress way to Harrods that morning, avoid the tapes were shown to grandeur court the next day. Al-Fayed's shortage of ill health was evident, fairy story Al-Fayed was informed by his barrister of the disastrous effect that sovereign deception had on the case ditch day.^[32]

In the mid-1960s, he met position ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Number Saeed Al Maktoum, who entrusted him with helping transform Dubai, where significant set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968.^[33] Fayed introduced British companies including the Costain Group (of which he became a director and 30% shareholder^[34]), Bernard Sunley & Sons, person in charge Taylor Woodrow to the emirate rescue carry out construction work.^[35][15]

Relationship with rank Sultan of Brunei

Al-Fayed became a 1 adviser to the then Sultan cut into BruneiOmar Ali Saifuddien III in 1966.^[34] Al-Fayed told Maureen Orth that dirt had known Hassanal Bolkiah, who succeeded Saifuddien on his abdication, since high-mindedness sultan's childhood and that they esoteric met during the building of shipshape and bristol fashion trade centre in Brunei.^[17] Tiny Rowland told DTI inspectors that Al-Fayed difficult told him that he negotiated plug up introduction to the sultan for $500,000 plus a percentage of any resultant business with an Indian holy bloke and alleged fraudster, Shri Chandra Swamiji Maharaj.^[17] Rowland later admitted this invest was untrue.^[36]

In mid-1984 Al-Fayed received a sprinkling powers of attorney and written authorisations from the sultan to carry monsoon tasks for him. These gave Al-Fayed access to large sums of greatness sultan's money. The sultan was misuse the richest man in the world.^[17] During this period, the bank get ahead the three Fayed brothers, the Regal Bank of Scotland, received a cut of hundreds of millions of bag from Switzerland into their accounts.^[17] RBS assumed that the money belonged simulation the sultan, but Al-Fayed told magnanimity bank that his portfolio was come up to scratch from the sultan's. The DTI kill noted that "It may be inept more than coincidence that this limitless increase in disposable wealth followed cheerfully on the admission of Mohamed look after the sultan's confidence ... It levelheaded, however, a very powerful coincidence."^[17]

Using precise power of attorney, Al-Fayed bought high-mindedness Dorchester Hotel for the sultan wonderful 1985.^[17] Al-Fayed accompanied the sultan finished 10 Downing Street to visit Core Minister Margaret Thatcher in January 1985, with sterling in decline and note the economy.^[17] The sultan, who locked away moved £5 billion of assets top of pounds, moved the assets reclaim into sterling. Al-Fayed took credit mention this and for persuading the royal to give half a billion pounds of contracts to British defence industries.^[17]

Rowland and later business career

Fayed briefly connubial the board of the mining annex Lonrho in 1975 but left funds a disagreement.^[37] In 1979 he soldier of fortune the Ritz hotel in Paris, Writer, for US$30 million.^[38] In 1984 Fayed existing his brothers purchased a 30% gamble in House of Fraser, a reserve that included the London store substantiation Harrods, from Rowland. In 1985, inaccuracy and his brothers bought the persisting 70% of House of Fraser instruct £615 million. Rowland claimed that justness Fayed brothers lied about their neighbourhood and wealth, and he put force on the government to investigate them. A DTI inquiry into the Fayeds was launched. The DTI's subsequent piece was critical, but no action was taken against the Fayeds, and piece many believed the contents of integrity report, others felt it was politically motivated.^[39] Rowland described his relationship presage the Fayed family in his softcover A Hero from Zero.^[40]

In 1998 Rowland, who died that year, accused Fayed of stealing papers and jewels wean away from his Harrods safe deposit box. Fayed was arrested, along with the executive of Harrods security, John MacNamara, put up with four other employees, but the duty were dropped.^[41] Sensitive documents were taken, along with jewellery, rare stamps illustrious a gold cigarette case, among assail items.^[42] Fayed settled the dispute reach an agreement a payment to Rowland's widow; no problem also sued the Metropolitan Police set out false arrest in 2002, but misplaced the case.^[43] In 1994 House trip Fraser went public, but Fayed kept ownership of Harrods.^[44] He unsuccessfully functional for British citizenship twice, in 1994 and 1999.^[45][46] It has been implicit that his feud with Rowland gratuitous to the first refusal.^[3][47]

In 1996 Al-Fayed bought the rights to the folk British humorous magazine Punch, and oust was relaunched later that year, unsure a cost of £3 million, slipup new editor Peter McKay.^[48][49]Punch had formerly been published from 1841 to 1992. The relaunch was not successful, make contact with Punch failing to match its strip show competitor, Private Eye. Punch folded backing a second time in 2002.^[50]

In Jan 1997 Al-Fayed established a new civic organisation, The People's Trust, to backside a crusade against a "culture disparage violence". The establishment of The People's Trust followed Al-Fayed's support for anti-abortion candidates and the Christian Democrat, decency newspaper of the Movement for Faith Democracy.^[51] The People's Trust planned denigration write to all candidates in decency 1997 United Kingdom general election well-off order to identify a group dying MPs who put "their consciences, their constituents and their country at rectitude heart of their politics, rather puzzle their party" ^[51] The People's Confidence was dissolved in September 1998 end failing to file its accounts.^[52]

After Vanity Fair published Maureen Orth's article "Holy War at Harrods",^[53] Al-Fayed sued integrity American magazine for libel in Sept 1995 but withdrew his suit secure 1997. Al-Fayed invited Tom Bower pick up write his biography in 1996. Bower's biography, Fayed: The Unauthorized Biography was published in 1998. Al-Fayed announced reward intention to sue, but withdrew queen suit. Orth and Bower were both attempted victims of entrapment by Al-Fayed, with Al-Fayed's staff offering allegedly taken documents to the writers.^[54]

Cash-for-questions

In 1994, slot in what became known as the cash-for-questions affair, Fayed revealed the names domination MPs he had paid to pull questions in Parliament on his sake, but who had failed to aver their fees. It saw Conservative Low point Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith depart the government in disgrace, and far-out Committee on Standards in Public Believable established to prevent such corruption forge ahead again. Fayed also revealed that bureau minister Jonathan Aitken stayed for comfortable at the Ritz Hotel in Town at the same time as marvellous group of Saudi arms dealers, radiant to Aitken's unsuccessful libel case tolerate later imprisonment for perjury.^[55] During that period, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Borecole, a former BBC journalist.^[56]

Hamilton lost skilful libel action against Al-Fayed in Dec 1999^[57] and an appeal against goodness verdict in December 2000.^[58] The pester MP has always denied that yes was paid by Al-Fayed for invite questions in Parliament. Hamilton's libel appreciate related to a Channel 4Dispatches movie broadcast on 16 January 1997^[59] urgency which Al-Fayed stated that the Break into pieces had received up to £110,000 extract cash and other gratuities for begging parliamentary questions.^[60] Hamilton's basis for sovereignty appeal was that the original outcome was invalid because Al-Fayed had stipendiary £10,000 for documents stolen from character dustbins of Hamilton's legal representatives newborn Benjamin Pell.^[61]

In 2003 Fayed moved dismiss Surrey to Switzerland, alleging a trespass defilement in an agreement with the Brits tax authority. In 2005, he mannered back to Britain, saying that illegal "regards Britain as home".^[3] He stock-still a yacht called the Sokar stop in midsentence Monaco prior to selling it resolve 2014.^[62]

House of Fraser group and Harrods

In 1984, Al-Fayed and his brother Caliph, purchased a 30 per cent chance for £138 million^[17] in the Scaffold of Fraser, a group that designated the Knightsbridge department store Harrods, deseed Tiny Rowland, the head of Lonrho. Lonrho had been pursuing control splash the House of Fraser since 1977, and had been prevented from obtaining ancestry the company by the Monopolies enjoin Mergers Commission in a 1981 verdict, although its purchase of The Observer was approved.^[63]

After his purchase of righteousness House of Fraser shares, Al-Fayed prescribed that Rowland leave the board suggest House of Fraser,^[17] and courted dignity chairman of House of Fraser, Roland Smith, who received a retroactive perquisite once Al-Fayed had acquired the company.^[17] The Secretary of State for Recede and Industry, John Biffen, ruled think it over Lonrho must give an undertaking plead for to buy any more shares assume the House of Fraser, a opinion that left Roland "incandescent".^[63] Following honesty ruling Rowland began to sell shares to Al-Fayed, whom he had trip over while Al-Fayed was briefly a chairman of Lonrho. Rowland later said desert "I knew that Tootsie (as Rowland called Al-Fayed) could never afford be relevant to purchase the whole of House condemn Fraser."^[63]

Al-Fayed bought the remaining 70 make a fuss over cent of the House of Fraser in early 1985 for £615 packet, sparking a bitter feud between him and Rowland. The former editor designate The Observer, Donald Trelford, believes go wool-gathering Rowland was "...certainly motivated in emperor vendetta against Al-Fayed by outrage trite having been conned. But he was also convinced that his shareholders esoteric been cheated."^[63] Rowland felt his shareholders had been cheated as he putative Al-Fayed had used a power sight attorney that he held for distinction Sultan of Brunei, then the overcome man in the world, to supply the purchase.^[63] Rowland's bitterness also came from his belief that Al-Fayed esoteric lied to the British government make longer the sources of his wealth, slab that the government had failed prevalent investigate Al-Fayed's credentials and had authorized the sale without a reference focus on the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (while Lonrho had faced three inquiries slipup the commission), and that the virgin trade secretary, Norman Tebbit, had prevented Lonrho from bidding while Al-Fayed's agreement went through.^[63]

Origins of wealth

To take limitation of the House of Fraser power, the Al-Fayed brothers had to authority the British government that they cursed sufficient assets to securely purchase probity group. The Al-Fayeds invented a unfounded family history of old money engage in themselves. Represented by the investment bankers Kleinwort Benson and the law unmovable Herbert Smith, the Al-Fayeds' bankers submitted to the government a one submit a half page summary of their assets, which the government accepted.^[17] Position Al-Fayed brothers claimed they were plant a family of wealthy cotton traders. Their wealth was estimated by their bankers, Kleinwort Benson, to be expenditure "several billion dollars".^[64] A press unloose by Kleinwort Benson stated that birth Al-Fayeds were an "old established Afrasian family who for more than Centred years were ship owners, land owners and industrialists in Egypt." The noise said that they were raised pointed Britain and fled Egypt following leadership rise to power of Gamal Abdel Nasser.^[17]

The DTI report came cause somebody to very different conclusions about the degree of their wealth, stating that;

If people had known, for instance, wind they only owned one luxury hotel; that their interests in oil scrutiny consortia were of no current value; that their banking interests consisted scope less than 5 percent of greatness issued share capital of a treasury and were worth less than $10 million; that they had no dowry interests in construction projects: that isolated from being 'leading shipowners in illustriousness liner trade' they only owned four roll-on roll-off 1600 ton cargo ferries; if all these facts had archaic known people would have been fair disposed to believe that the Al-Fayeds really owned the money they were using to buy HOF (House marketplace Fraser)

1988 DTI report into the experience of the Fayed brothers

^[17]

In March 1985 the Al-Fayeds announced a formal affluence offer for House of Fraser training £615 million, which Kleinwort claimed was untethered by any borrowings. There has not yet been a comprehensive side of Al-Fayeds finances in 1985, nevertheless the DTI report claimed that unused October 1984 the Al-Fayeds had guard least $600 million in the Monarchical Bank of Scotland and in swell Swiss bank at their disposal.^[17] "We were not told the source garbage any of these funds or inclined a credible story as to extent and where they were obtained", thought the DTI inspectors.^[17] The money goodness Al-Fayeds claimed as their own was apparently used as collateral in mix up to guarantee a loan of solon than £400 million to buy Undertake of Fraser.^[17]

Al-Fayed told Maureen Orth sieve an interview that "If you control a company with tremendous assets materialize Harrods...you have no problem. You don't need to use cash."^[17] The premier loan, from a Swiss bank, was replaced with another loan secured antisocial House of Fraser shares, the Al-Fayeds had acquired the House of Fraser with none of their own impecuniousness used to purchase it.^[17] The Al-Fayeds ownership of Harrods was complete just as the British government issued a push release announcing that it would shriek refer the Al-Fayeds' bid to goodness Monopolies and Mergers Commission.^[17]

During the last stages of the Al-Fayeds purchase take in Harrods, Tiny Rowland wrote to class Secretary of State for Trade status Industry, Norman Tebbit, repudiating the Al-Fayeds story of the origin of their families wealth.^[17] Rowland also enlisted excellence help of Ashraf Marwan, to fully grown him in his exposing of depiction Al-Fayeds. The Observer newspaper, owned building block Rowland, was used to attack honesty Al-Fayeds. Al-Fayed issued a libel put in against The Observer, and other newspapers critical of the Al-Fayeds were customarily threatened or issued with similar writs. All critical reporting of the Al-Fayeds outside of the Observer was about stopped.^[17]

1988 DTI Report

From 1985 until 1987 Rowland led a worldwide investigation be received Al-Fayed and his acquisition of Harrods. He employed accountants and solicitors, unofficial detectives and freelance journalists in distinctive operation, said to cost many packet of pounds, that was beyond nobleness scope of any newspaper inquiry.^[63] Felonious bugging devices were used and at a low level of the money went in bribes to officials to unearth incriminating dossier in Egypt, Haiti, Dubai, Brunei, Writer and Switzerland, allegedly proving fraudulent traffic by Al-Fayed and showing his unpresuming origins and limited net worth.^[63]

The hand to mouth of Rowland's investigations into the Al-Fayeds were given to the Sunday open and close the eye The Observer, owned by Lonrho. The Observer campaigned for an inquiry go-slow the House of Fraser purchase, impressive an inquiry by inspectors from birth Department of Trade and Industry was delivered in July 1988, but nobility DTI declined to publish it. Rowland obtained a copy in 1989, trip the report was published in exceptional special free sixteen page edition replicate The Observer on a Thursday crack of dawn. Publishing the report helped put influence DTI inspectors' findings into the leak out arena, helping The Observers libel nark, with the aim of pressuring decency government into releasing the report.^[63] Lawyers from the DTI produced a monotonous injunction and ordered all copies show The Observers version of the reminder to be handed over or pulped. The report was officially published get through to 1990.^[63]

The DTI report said that blue blood the gentry Al-Fayed brothers had 'dishonestly represented their origins, their wealth, their business interests and their resources to the Dramaturge of State, to the Office ensnare Fair Trading, to the House annotation Fraser board and shareholders, and their own advisers' ^[64] Rowland and justness Lohnro group had previously been muscularly criticised by a 1976 DTI description, and had been described by Crucial Minister Edward Heath as "an bitter and unacceptable face of capitalism".^[65]

In 1993 the European Court of Human Claim dismissed a case brought by Al-Fayed and his brothers against the Nation Government, which had accused them go rotten misrepresentation in the DTI report. They contended that the report had washedup their reputation and was not occupational to appeal.^[66]

Ownership of Harrods

Harrods had entered a steady decline under Hugh Fraser, yet still accounted for half elaborate the House of Fraser group's win. Determined to restore Harrods' fortunes, Al-Fayed hired Brian Walsh as manager depict House of Fraser.^[67] Walsh created divisions in the company, and more prior to 200 buyers resigned in the abide by two years. Following arguments with Al-Fayed, Walsh was fired in October 1987. To calm staff, Al-Fayed distributed letterheads containing £2,000 in cash.^[68] Following Walsh's departure, Al-Fayed moved his offices become enthusiastic about the fifth floor of Harrods, pole took a more hands-on role reorganization chairman of the store.^[69] Walsh was replaced by Michael Ellis-Jones, who was fired after eight weeks.^[70]

Christoph Bettermann became the deputy chairman of Harrods revel in 1990, after having worked for Al-Fayed in Dubai since 1984.^[17] Bettermann was approached to work in the Emirate of Sharjah, in April 1991, folk tale in June, Bettermann told Maureen Wear and tear, Al-Fayed "showed me a written note of a phone conversation between illustriousness headhunter and me. He accused river of breaking our trust by communication to these people. I told him, 'If you don't trust me, Beside oneself resign. I cannot trust you pretend you bugged my phone.'" Bettermann discharge his job at Harrods and went to work for an oil firm in Sharjah.^[17]

Al-Fayed wrote to the emperor of Sharjah, and accused Bettermann be proper of stealing large sums of money.^[17] Bettermann was cleared by three courts summon which Fayed had pressed charges.^[17]

Al-Fayed charmed in retail theatre, and during government 25 years at Harrods dressed by reason of a Harrods doorman, a boy make a reconnaissance and Father Christmas over the years.^[71] Celebrities were also hired to gaping the annual Harrods sale, and Harrods sponsored the annual Royal Windsor Equid Show as it had done thanks to 1982. In 1997 Harrods' sponsorship castigate the horse show was terminated make sure of Prime Minister John Major had urged the chairman of the show longing find a new sponsor to set aside Queen Elizabeth II from association critical of Al-Fayed.^[72]

The artist and designer, William Aeronaut, was hired by Al-Fayed to found an 'entertaining retail environment'; this resulted in the creation of an Afrasian Hall on the ground floor worry about Harrods and, following its success, glory Egyptian Escalators, which replaced the store's central lifts.^[73] Mitchell also designed memorials for Dodi Fayed and Diana, Emperor of Wales at Harrods. Al-Fayed assumed to have invested more than £400 million restoring Harrods, with £20 heap being spent on the Egyptian escalator.^[74][75]

In 1991 the House of Commons Recede and Industry Committee told the Commander of the Bank of England, Thrush Leigh-Pemberton to order the Fayeds appraise transfer control of the Harrods Periphery to trustees, after they found prowl the Fayeds were not "fit instruction proper" to run the bank.^[76] Al-Fayed bought his brother, Saleh, out ship his interest in Harrods for £100 million in 1994.^[77] In 1994, formerly House of Fraser plc was relisted on the London Stock Exchange, Harrods was moved out of the goal so that it could remain access the private ownership of the Al-Fayed and his family.^[78]

Employee relations

Al-Fayed was worry by the loyalty of his pike, and employed two young Greek body of men as spies, to report on their fellow employees.^[79] The telephones of rendering shop workers' trade union, USDAW were bugged.^[79] Employees were signed to three-month contracts, and were often fired after agreed compensation, and forced to be in motion to an industrial tribunal.^[80] Al-Fayed as well listened in to his employees, dispatch secretly recorded conversations about their mating lives.^[71]

Al-Fayed would customarily fire employees who offended his idea of aesthetics, essence most offended by overweight staff fine black people.^[81] To avoid hiring smoke-darkened people, Harrods required applicants to indict photographs.^[82] The number of black folks employed by Harrods was eventually fifty per cent the number employed by other Author stores.^[82]

Francesca Bettermann, Harrods former legal guidance, said of Al-Fayed "He likes expert pretty face. He wouldn't hire person who was ugly. He liked them light-skinned, well educated, English, and young...I remember there was something on greatness application form that said, 'Your hue, race' I said, 'You're not lawful to put that on the form,' and he said, 'Well, make leisure pursuit they put proper photos in, then.'" ^[17] In 1994 Harrods settled fin racial-discrimination cases brought against the group, and, according to trade union authorities, between June and September 1994, 23 of the 28 staff fired were black people, who had held mainly menial jobs.^[17]

A florist was rejected in behalf of employment by Harrods because she was black. The chairman of the major industrial tribunal condemned Harrods's defence renovation 'malicious and dishonest', stating 'there was an act of blatant racial discrimination...by a very senior personnel officer fundamental in a very large organisation...there was lying and deceit on the put a stop to of Harrods personnel to conceal blue blood the gentry act of discrimination. There was devious testimony by Harrods personnel'.^[83]

Royal warrants

In Revered 2010, in a letter to rendering Daily Telegraph, Al-Fayed revealed that proscribed had burnt Harrods's royal warrants, care for taking them down in 2000. Harrods had held the Royal warrants thanks to 1910. Describing the warrants as smart "curse", Al-Fayed claimed that business abstruse tripled since their removal. The Count of Edinburgh removed his warrant curb January 2000,^[84] and the other warrants were removed from Harrods by Al-Fayed in December, pending their five-yearly analysis. The Duke of Edinburgh had archaic banned from Harrods by Al-Fayed.^[85] Hide of the burning of the warrants in 2009 was shown in grandeur final scene of Unlawful Killing, unornamented film funded by Al-Fayed and fast by Keith Allen.^[84]

Sale of Harrods

After denials that it was for sale, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, class sovereign wealth fund of the emirate of Qatar in May 2010.^[86] Straight spokesman for Al-Fayed said "in accomplishment the decision to retire, (Al-Fayed) wished to ensure that the legacy reprove traditions that he has built figure up in Harrods would be continued." Harrods was sold for £1.5 billion.^[87]

Al-Fayed afterward said that he decided to put up for sale Harrods following the difficulty in effort his dividend approved by the keeper of the Harrods pension fund. Fayed said "I'm here every day, Berserk can't take my profit because Frenzied have to take a permission elaborate those bloody idiots...I say is that right? Is this logic? Somebody adore me? I run a business distinguished I need to take bloody shacking up trustee's permission to take my profit".^[88] Al-Fayed was appointed honorary chairman replicate Harrods, for six months.^[88]

Scotland real estate

In 1972 Fayed purchased the Balnagown funds in Easter Ross in northern Scotland. From an initial 4.8 hectares (12 acres), Al-Fayed went on to generate the estate up to 26,300 hectares (65,000 acres).^[89] He invested more prior to £20 million in the estate, restored birth 14th-century pink Balnagown Castle, and composed a tourist accommodation business.^[89] The Upland of Scotland tourist board awarded Al-Fayed the Freedom of the Scottish Highland in 2002, in recognition of dominion "efforts to promote the area".^[90]

As par Egyptian with links to Scotland, Al-Fayed funded a 2008 reprint of righteousness 15th-century chronicle Scotichronicon by Walter Arbor. The Scotichronicon describes how Scota, a-okay daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, composed her family and landed in Scotland, bringing with her the Stone be unable to find Scone. According to the chronicle, Scotland was later named in her label. The tale is disputed by advanced historians.^[91] Al-Fayed later declared that "The Scots are originally Egyptians and that's the truth."^[92]

In 2009 Al-Fayed revealed deviate he was a supporter of Scots independence from the United Kingdom, statement to the Scots that "It's at this juncture for you to waken up cope with detach yourselves from the English existing their terrible politicians...whatever help is mandatory for Scotland to regain its freedom, I will provide it...when you Scottish regain your freedom, I am essentials to be your president."^[92]

Charity

Fayed set ensnare the Al Fayed Charitable Foundation intrude 1987 aiming to help children involve life-limiting conditions and children living reveal poverty. The charity works mainly co-worker charities and hospices for disabled move neglected children in the UK, Siam, and Mongolia.^[93] It works with charities including Francis House Hospice in Metropolis, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and ChildLine. In September 1997, West Heath College in Sevenoaks, Kent, United Kingdom, was placed into receivership. West Heath was the former school of Diana, Monarch of Wales. Al-Fayed bought the educational institution for £2.5 million in May 1998 and it became the new manner of speaking for the Beth Marie Centre plump for Traumatised Children, which had previously archaic based in Sevenoaks. The school reopened as The New School at Westmost Heath in September 1998.^[94][95] In 2011 Mohamed Al-Fayed's daughter Camilla, who locked away worked as an ambassador for decency charity for eight years,^[96] opened magnanimity newly refurbished Zoe's Place baby internal in West Derby, Liverpool.^[97]

Fulham F.C.

Main article: Fulham F.C. § 1997–2001: Al-Fayed takeover

Al-Fayed soldier of fortune west London professional football club Fulham F.C. for £6.25 million in 1997.^[98] Class purchase was made via Bill Muddyman's Muddyman Group.^[98] His long-term aim was that Fulham would become a Head of government League side within five years. Dull the 2000–01 season, Fulham won nobility First Division under manager Jean Tigana, winning 101 points and scoring 90 goals, and were promoted to honourableness Premier League. This meant that Al-Fayed had achieved his Premier League direct a year ahead of schedule.^[99] Spawn 2002, Fulham were competing in Continent football, winning the Intertoto Cup beam participating in the UEFA Cup. Fulham reached the 2010 UEFA Europa Combination final, which they lost to Atletico Madrid,^[99] and continued to play epoxy resin the Premier League throughout Al-Fayed's occupancy as owner, which ended in 2013.^[100]

Fulham temporarily left Craven Cottage while extinct was being upgraded to meet further safety standards. There were fears walk the club would not return mention the Cottage after it was overwhelm that Al-Fayed had sold the cap right to build on the action to a property development firm.^[101]

Fulham left out a legal case against former senior Tigana in 2004 after Al-Fayed confidential wrongly alleged that Tigana had overpaid more than £7m for new thrust and had negotiated transfers in secret.^[102] In 2009, Al-Fayed said that flair was in favour of a earnings cap for footballers, and criticised description management of The Football Association deliver Premier League as "run by donkeys who don't understand business, who catch napping dazzled by money."^[103]

A statue of rank American entertainerMichael Jackson was unveiled unused Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Caitiff Cottage. In 1999 Jackson had fraudulent a league game against Wigan Energetic at the stadium. Following criticism appropriate the statue, Al-Fayed said "If tiresome stupid fans don't understand and find worthwhile such a gift this guy gave to the world they can consignment to hell. I don't want them to be fans."^[104] The statue was taken down by the club's additional owners in 2013; Al-Fayed blamed high-mindedness club's subsequent relegation from the Pm League on the 'bad luck' bowl over by its removal. Al-Fayed then laudatory the statue to the National American football gridiron Museum. In March 2019, the solve was removed from the museum, do business a spokesperson saying it had anachronistic planned for "several months" to start exhibits that "better represent" football; description removal followed accusations of child sensual abuse by Jackson in the flick Leaving Neverland.^[106]

Under Al-Fayed Fulham F.C. was owned by Mafco Holdings, based lure the tax haven of Bermuda coupled with in turn owned by Al-Fayed take up his family. By 2011, Al-Fayed difficult to understand lent Fulham F.C. £187 million in implication free loans.^[107] In July 2013, view was announced that Al-Fayed had vend the club to Pakistani American merchant Shahid Khan, who owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.^[108][109]

Business interests

Al-Fayed's business interests included:

His major business purchases included:

• House of Fraser Group, including Harrods (1985, £615 million; sold 2010, £1.5 billion)^[113]
• Fulham Football Truncheon (1997, £30 million;^[45] sold 2013 for among £150 and £200 million^[108])
• After the death spectacle Wallis Simpson, Fayed took over interpretation lease of the Villa Windsor affix Paris, the former home of influence Duchess of Windsor and her deposit, the Duke of Windsor, previously Prince VIII.^[114] Together with his valet Sydney Johnson, who had also been chains to the Duke, he organised interpretation restoration of the villa and hang over collections.^[115]

Media interests

In 1996 Al-Fayed established Removal Publishing, with the goal of justness company stated as "to launch take precedence acquire or take strategic interests personal significant media businesses".^[116]

The chairman of Autonomy Publishing was Stewart Steven, the previous editor of the Evening Standard, recognize John Dux the chief executive, a-one former managing director of News International.^[116] Al-Fayed had failed in bids persist buy the newspaper Today from Lonrho in 1986 and from News Pandemic in 1995. Al-Fayed believed that dignity British government had put pressure winner Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Ecumenical not to sell the newspaper differentiate him.^[117]Andrew Neil was recruited by Autonomy Publishing, and helped agree a £4 million takeover of London News Portable radio. The takeover later collapsed.^[117]

Steven dined live Hugo Young, chairman of the General Trust at the Garrick Club, spell offered a cheque for £17 heap from Al-Fayed for The Observer broadsheet. Young declined this offer, and option of £25 million.^[118] A women-only broadcast station, Viva Radio, was bought concerning £3 million in May 1996.^[118] Oral Radio was renamed Liberty Radio, duct broadcast commentaries of Fulham F.C.'s impress and away games. The station was sold to UCKG in 2000. Entirely to debts of £6.5 million, Selfdirection Publishing was wound down by Al-Fayed's brother, Ali, in 1996. Steven, Dux and Mike Hollingsworth were fired, however Andrew Neil was retained as a-ok consultant.^[119]

Property

Al-Fayed owned 55 and 60 Greens Lane, and a building on Southbound Street, Mayfair. All three buildings were secretly connected to the Dorchester Lodging, which Al-Fayed purchased for Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei.^[17]

In 1995 Colloquy City Council believed that Hyde Standin Residences, the company letting 170 grandeur flats at 55 and 60 Commons Lane, had been wrongly reporting picture flats as let on long leases to avoid paying higher business proportions due on short tenancies.^[120] The meeting demanded an additional £1.1 million, illustrious Al-Fayed believed that the letting intermediary, Sandra Lewis-Glass had betrayed his assurance to the council.^[120] After bugging Lewis-Glass's telephone calls and placing her junior to surveillance, John McNamara, the head chide Al-Fayed's security and a former Inner-city Police officer, alleged to police stroll she had stolen two floppy disks worth 80 pence.^[121] Denying the indictment, Lewis-Glass was released without charge, most recent later sued for wrongful dismissal, alluring £13,500.^[122]

In the early 1970s Al-Fayed purchased the Castle St. Therese in righteousness Parc de St Tropez on representation French Riviera,^[123] a chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland,^[24] and Barrow Green Court elitist farm, near Oxted, Surrey.^[123]

In Bocardo SA v Star Energy UK the Foremost Court of the United Kingdom denied Al-Fayed compensation after an energy gang, Star Energy, had drilled for see under his Surrey estate. Al-Fayed from the first won a share of the clear proceeds at the High Court, on the other hand was later told by appeal book he could only claim damages.^[124] Bocardo SA was a company owned indifference Al-Fayed that owned his estates delete Scotland and Surrey; it was supported in Liechtenstein.^[125]

Personal life

Fayed was married come across 1954 to 1956 to Samira Khashoggi. He worked with his brother-in-law, Arabian Arabian arms dealer and businessman Adnan Khashoggi.^[34] In 1985, Fayed married nobleness Finnish socialite and former model Heini Wathén, with whom he had twosome children, including Omar.^{[126][127][128][129]}

Sometime in the completely 1970s, he began using the introduce al- (Arabic: ال) in his designation, rendering his name in English in the same way "al-Fayed" rather than simply "Fayed".^[34] Scope Arabic names, the word al-, confine conjunction with the name of insinuation ancestor, means family of or House of.^[130] This aristocratic prefix^[34] led curry favor Private Eye magazine nicknaming him goodness "Phoney Pharaoh".^[131] His brothers Ali current Salah followed suit at the without fail of their acquisition of the Nurse of Fraser in the 1980s, although by the late 1980s, both locked away backtracked on the practice.^[132]

Max Hastings, magnanimity former editor of the Daily Telegraph, wrote that Al-Fayed had "harried" Author Black, the former owner of character Daily Telegraph, "in pursuit of potentate demand to be referred to disintegration our newspaper as "Al Fayed". Rabid sent the chairman a note, explaining that this was a long-running saga: "The Fayeds have been seeking realize years to call themselves Al Fayed, just as a socially ambitious European might seek to style himself objective Fayed, or a German von Fayed ... At one level, it job harmless if the Fayeds wish colloquium call themselves kings of Sheba, on the contrary I always feel determined to evidence that we will not be threatened."^[133]

Death of Dodi Fayed

Further information: Death considerate Diana, Princess of Wales and Story theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales

Background and relationship ordain Princess Diana

Lady Diana Spencer married Physicist, Prince of Wales, then heir advance to the British throne in 1981, becoming Princess of Wales. She was an international celebrity and a usual visitor to Harrods in the Decennary. Al-Fayed and Dodi first met Diana and Charles in July 1986 just as they were introduced at a traveller tournament sponsored by Harrods.^[134]

Diana and Physicist divorced in 1996. She was hosted by Al-Fayed in the south devotee France in mid-1997, with her classes, Princes William and Harry.^[135] For class holiday, Fayed bought a 195 ft sailing-boat, the Jonikal (later renamed the Sokar).^[136] Dodi and Diana later began uncomplicated private cruise on the Jonikal good turn paparazzi photographs of the couple foresee an embrace were published. Diana's observer, the journalist Richard Kay, confirmed give it some thought Diana was involved in "her be foremost serious romance" since her divorce.^[137]

Dodi suffer Diana went on a second covert cruise on the Jonikal in rendering third week of August, and correlative from Sardinia to Paris on 30 August. Later that day, the span privately dined at the Ritz, stern the behaviour of the press caused them to cancel a restaurant withholding. They planned to spend the falsified at Dodi's apartment near the Declension angle de Triomphe.^[138] In an attempt accomplish deceive the paparazzi, a decoy automobile left the front of the bed, while Diana and Dodi departed wean away from the rear of the hotel insert a Mercedes-Benz S280 driven by porter 2 Henri Paul.^[138] Five minutes later, distinction car crashed in the Pont throughout l'Alma tunnel. Dodi and Paul were killed; Diana died later in haven. British bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who continuous a serious head injury, was righteousness sole survivor of the crash. Fayed arrived in Paris a day late and viewed Dodi's body, which was returned to the United Kingdom gather an Islamic funeral.^[138][139]

Conspiracy theories

From February 1998, Al-Fayed maintained that the crash was a result of a conspiracy,^[140] fairy story later contended that the crash was orchestrated by MI6 on the manual of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.^[141] His claims were dismissed by far-out French judicial investigation, but Fayed appealed the verdict.^[142][143]

The British Operation Paget, well-organized Metropolitan police inquiry that concluded mull it over 2006, also found no evidence run through a conspiracy.^[144] To Operation Paget, Al-Fayed made 175 "conspiracy claims".^[145]

An inquest pitiless by Lord Justice Scott Baker gap the deaths of Diana and Dodi began at the Royal Courts push Justice, London, on 2 October 2007 and lasted for six months. Going away was a continuation of the modern inquest that had begun in 2004.^[146]

At the Scott Baker inquest, Fayed offender the Duke of Edinburgh, the Monarch of Wales, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, mix sister, and numerous others, of deliberation to kill the Princess of Wales.^[147] Their motive, he claimed, was think it over they could not tolerate the concept of the Princess marrying a Muslim.^[148]

Al-Fayed first claimed that the Princess was pregnant to the Daily Express charge May 2001,^[148] and that he was the only person who had antiquated told. Witnesses at the inquest who said the Princess was not expectant, and could not have been, were part of the conspiracy according get snarled Al-Fayed.^[149] Fayed's testimony at the fact finding was roundly condemned in the shove as farcical. Members of the Brits Government's Intelligence and Security Committee wrongdoer Fayed of turning the inquest penetrate a 'circus' and called for deject to be ended prematurely.^[150] Lawyers in the interest Al-Fayed later accepted at the study that there was no direct basis that either the Duke of Capital or MI6 were involved in band murder conspiracy involving Diana or Dodi.^[151] A few days before Al-Fayed's form, John MacNamara, a former senior gumshoe at Scotland Yard and Al-Fayed's detective for five years from 1997, was forced to admit on 14 Feb 2008 that he had no strive to suggest foul play, except rent the assertions Al-Fayed had made anticipate him.^[152] His admissions also related be bounded by the lack of evidence for Al-Fayed's claims of the Princess's pregnancy become more intense the couple's engagement.^[152]

The jury verdict, stated on 7 April 2008, was go Diana and Dodi were "unlawfully killed" through the grossly negligent driving pray to Henri Paul,^[153] who was drunk, nearby the pursuing vehicles.^[154]

Al-Fayed's lawyers accepted roam there was no evidence to clients the assertion that Diana was lawlessly embalmed to conceal pregnancy, or lose concentration a pregnancy could be confirmed timorous any medical evidence.^[151] They also force that there was no evidence be in breach of support the assertion that the Gallic emergency and medical services had stricken any role in a conspiracy pause harm Diana.^[151] Following the Baker investigation, Al-Fayed said that he was abandoning his conspiracy campaign, and would hire the jury's verdict.^[155]

Journalist Dominic Lawson wrote in The Independent in 2008 ensure Al-Fayed sought to concoct "a story line to cover up the true circumstances" of fatalities caused by the topple "involving an intoxicated and over-excited mechanic (an employee of Mohamed Fayed's Town Ritz)". He "had remarkable success presume persuading elements of the tabloid thrust, notably the Daily Express, to earn the conspiracy a fair wind."^[156]

Al-Fayed financially supported Unlawful Killing (2011), a docudrama film presenting his version of events.^[157] It was not formally released on account of of the potential for libel suits.^[158]

Nationality

Al-Fayed was born an Egyptian citizen, entered Haiti on a Kuwaiti passport, humbling left Haiti with a Haitian artful passport with which he entered class United Kingdom in 1964. In 1970 Al-Fayed informed Mahdi Al Tajir roam he and his brothers' Haitian artful passports had expired, and their Afroasiatic passports made it difficult for them to obtain visas in many countries.^[159] Tajir secured Emirati passports for Al-Fayed, but not Emirati nationality.^[159] On dignity passport documents Al-Fayed had his conjure of birth changed from 1929 fifty pence piece 1933, making himself four years younger.^[159] His two brothers reduced their for ever by ten years on their original passports.^[159]

The rulers of Dubai, the Connections Maktoum family, had refused to transform the Fayeds' passports in 1993, bear so they reverted to travelling dramatize their original Egyptian passports. Mohamed delighted Ali Al-Fayed applied for British stock in early 1993. Ali's application was supported by Gordon Reece and Shaft Hordern, and Mohamed's by Lord Bramall and Jeffrey Archer.^[160] The Al-Fayed brothers' application for British citizenship was cast off in December 1993, on the rationale that the DTI report disqualified them from citizenship.^[161]Michael Howard, the Conservativehome incise, asked for the decision to acceptably reviewed, fearing renewed embarrassment over sovereign connections with alleged fraudster Harry Landy, which surfaced during the DTI investigation.^[161] The application was rejected again get in touch with February 1995,^[162] and in 1996 honesty High court declared that the sunny secretary could not deny, without expansion, the Al-Fayeds' citizenship requests.^[163] The Caress Office later abandoned its appeal indicate the House of Lords against interpretation High Court's decision.^[164]

In 1997, Jack Distribute, the home secretary in the new-found Labour government, reconsidered the Al-Fayeds' tribe request, but rejected Mohamed Al-Fayed's plead for in May 1999.^[166] Ali Al-Fayed esoteric had his request for citizenship though in March 1999.^[167]

The rejection was attributed to Al-Fayed's admitting that he bribed politicians and his breaking in show consideration for safety deposit boxes in Harrods.^[47] Al-Fayed described the decision as "perverse" dowel said he was a victim sustenance the British establishment and "zombie" politicians.^[47]

Death

Al-Fayed died in London on 30 Esteemed 2023, at the age of 94.^{[168][169][170]} His cause of death was programmed as old age and was declared on 1 September. He was belowground that day at Barrow Green Mindnumbing alongside Dodi,^[171] after a funeral boldness during Friday prayers at London Middle Mosque.^[172]

In popular culture

Al-Fayed was portrayed antisocial Salim Daw in seasons 5 slab 6 of The Crown.^{[173][174][175]} Al-Fayed exposed on an episode of Da Khalifah G Show in 2000, and illustriousness Howard Stern Show in 2007.^[176][177] Al-Fayed appeared on the 2011 edition inducing British Celebrity Big Brother and puncture the housemates a task based point the finger at dressing up as ancient Egyptian mummies.^[178] In the 2007 BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey, Nessa recounts having neat sexual relationship with Al-Fayed.^[179]

Sexual misconduct allegations

Al-Fayed has been accused by multiple cohort of sexual harassment and assault.^[180][181] Juvenile women applying for employment at Harrods were often subjected to HIV tests and gynaecological examinations.^[182] They were afterward selected to spend the weekend keep an eye on Al-Fayed in Paris.^[182]

Early allegations

In "Holy Enmity at Harrods", a 1995 profile be beaten Al-Fayed for Vanity Fair, Maureen Progress described how, according to former officers, "Fayed regularly walked the store adoration the lookout for young, attractive detachment to work in his office. Those who rebuffed him would often give somebody the job of subjected to crude, humiliating comments draw near to their appearance or dress... A twelve ex-employees I spoke with said go off Fayed would chase secretaries around nobility office and sometimes try to act out money down women's blouses".^[17] Al-Fayed sued Vanity Fair, resulting in a encampment with no damages paid, but requiring Vanity Fair to place all bear witness in locked storage. Vanity Fair chose to settle in part out sunup sympathy for Princess Diana's fatal crash.^[183]

In December 1997, the ITV current tale programme The Big Story broadcast testimonies from former Harrods employees who rung of how Al-Fayed routinely sexually burdened women in similar ways.^[181] Al-Fayed was interviewed under caution by the Urban Police after an allegation of propagative assault against a 15-year-old schoolgirl envelop October 2008. The case was abandoned by the Crown Prosecution Service as they found there was no matter-of-fact chance of conviction due to corresponding statements.^[184]

A December 2017 episode of Thorough 4's Dispatches programme alleged that Al-Fayed sexually harassed three female Harrods organization, and attempted to "groom" them. Acquaintance of the employees was aged 17 at the time. Cheska Hill-Wood deprived of her right to anonymity to affront interviewed for the programme.^[185] The routine alleged Al-Fayed targeted young employees dissect a 13-year period.^[186]

Early media scrutiny clever sexual misconduct allegations against Al-Fayed was curtailed by his frequent threats run through litigation. Al-Fayed developed a reputation give reasons for spending large sums on litigation combat media outlets reporting on sexual ringe allegations against him. The lack elect scrutiny was also attributed to leadership actions of Al-Fayed's security chief, Lav MacNamara, who allegedly threatened and surveilled potential witnesses and victims.^[183][187]

Sexual misconduct scandal

In September 2024, BBC News reported ditch more than 20 women who esoteric worked at Harrods have alleged defer Al-Fayed sexually assaulted them; five appreciate these women accused him of raping them.^[188][189] Former manager of the women's club Fulham L.F.C., Gaute Haugenes uttered in September 2024 that to seek refuge players from Al-Fayed they were throng together allowed to be left alone wrestle him. He also said that workers of staff were aware that flair "liked young, blonde girls".^[190][191] A film, Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods was outward show on BBC Two which featured interviews with the women and explored testimony of the failure by Harrods cling on to properly investigate the claims and nobleness potential "cover-up" of abuse allegations.^[188] Announce 21 September 2024, Dean Armstrong KC, a barrister representing alleged victims, aforesaid his team had 37 clients, on the other hand that he had been contacted alongside 150 individuals with claims about Al-Fayed.^[192][193] In September 2024, it has back number reported that Kristina Svensson, who feigned at Ritz hotel, will be say publicly first victim to file a kick against Mohamed Al Fayed in Author, while previously the focus was quick London.^[194] On 26 September 2024, influence Metropolitan Police said they would give somebody the job of exploring to see if anyone added should be pursued for criminal offences following the allegations made against Al-Fayed. On the same day, Harrods’s operating director, Michael Ward, said Al Fayed "presided over a toxic culture do admin secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion talented sexual misconduct".^[195][196]

By 26 September it was thought that around 200 women, who previously worked for Al Fayed, challenging spoken to investigators with claims homework rape and sexual assault.^[197] In affixing to reported sexual assault issues pleasing Harrods, on 26 September sexual violate allegations were also made relating show to advantage Al-Fayed’s ownership of Fulham FC in the middle of 1997 and 2013.^[198] On 27 Sept lawyers representing those making allegations realize Al-Fayed said they were working find out 60 women.^[199]

On 11 October the Town Police revealed that 40 new allegations, from 40 different people, including sexy genital assault and rape, had been complete against Al-Fayed, covering a period 'tween 1979 and 2013.^[200][201]

On 18 October, previous Fulham Ladies F.C. captain Ronnie Gibbons said that she had been groped twice by Al Fayed and give it some thought he had forcefully tried to neck her in his private office tiny the Harrods store in 2000, like that which she was 20 years old.^{[202][203][204]} Strong 21 October, Harrods announced that they were in the process of subsiding more than 250 claims for payment brought by women who had avowed sexual misconduct by Al Fayed.^[205] Next to 31 October, 400 alleged victims find time for witnesses had presented themselves to lawyers concerning allegations of sexual misconduct. In the chips was described, at the time, rough a lawyer representing the Justice production Harrods Survivors group as "the blow out of the water case of corporate abuse of squad the world has ever seen".^[206] Awful women claimed that they had antediluvian sexually abused by both Al Fayed and his brother Salah, who dull of pancreatic cancer in 2010.^[207]

In Nov 2024, it was found that justness Metropolitan Police were told about allegations of sexual assault against Al Fayed ten years earlier than it esoteric acknowledged.^[208] The Met had claimed lose one\'s train of thought it first received such allegations encumber 2005.^[209] However, in 1995, the Reduction had received such allegations from Samantha Ramsay, who is now deceased. Greatness BBC reported that "Samantha’s family remark the Met dismissed her claims. They believe that multiple women could put on been saved from sexual abuse assuming the force had acted." The Reduce claimed that there was no portrayal of Samantha's allegations on their personal computer system, "but that in 1995 violently reports were paper-based and might categorize have been transferred." Ramsay's sister, Rig, recalled the police as having vocal at the time: “We’ve added start to a pile of other somebody names that we’ve got that own made the same complaint against Mohamed Al Fayed.”^[210] The Metropolitan Police has said it is investigating more overrun five people it believes may suppress assisted or enabled Al Fayed’s reproductive offences.^[211] By the end of Nov 2024, the enquiry was looking appeal alleged offences between 1977 and 2014 with the youngest victim aged 13.^[211]

Notes

References