Princess Diana’s confidant Mohamed Al Fayed accused of multiple rapes
The late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, whose son Dodi died alongside Princess Diana, has been accused of multiple sexual assaults amid claims the luxury store covered up the alleged abuse.
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Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has been accused of raping five women and sexually abusing at least 15 others when they worked at the luxury department store, according to a BBC investigation.
More than 20 women, all of whom were the late Fayed’s former employees, told a BBC documentary they were sexually assaulted by him and that Harrods covered up the abuse.
Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed.
“As a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise,” Harrods said in a statement.
In July 2023, Harrods began settling claims with women who came forward with claims of sexual abuse by Fayed from the 1990s and 2000s.
Fayed died last year at the age of 94.
The Egyptian billionaire was a prominent figure in British life for decades and had close ties to the Royal Family.
A confidant of the late Princess Diana, his son Dodi died alongside her in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Fayed later accused the Royal Family of being involved in Princess Diana’s death.
At the time, Reuters reported that Fayed was “beset by grief and an overwhelming sense of injustice, Fayed spent millions on legal battles to ensure there was an inquest.”
He did numerous interviews in the years after their deaths, and his repeated allegations led the British government to open Operation Paget, an investigation in 2007 into Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed’s deaths.
More than 20 women have spoken to the BBC as part of a special investigation and podcast alleging assault and physical violence at properties in London and Paris.
Five women said they had been raped by him, according to the documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods due to be broadcast later on Thursday local time and the World of Secrets podcast.
“The spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark,” barrister Bruce Drummond, from a legal team representing a number of the women, told the BBC.
Fayed had previously been accused of sexually assaulting and groping multiple women but a 2015 police investigation into a rape allegation did not lead to any charges.
Fayed sold the famous London store in 2010 to the investment arm of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund for a reported £1.5 billion ($2.9 billion).
– with AFP
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Originally published as Princess Diana’s confidant Mohamed Al Fayed accused of multiple rapes