Mohamed Al Fayed Rape Allegations Investigated in New BBC Documentary
Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, whose son Dodi died alongside Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash in Paris, has been accused of rape by multiple women, a new BBC documentary claims.
In “Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods,” which drops on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two today, more than 20 women put forward allegations of rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and female violence.
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The majority of the women making the allegations are former employees at Harrods, the luxury British department story Al Fayed owned for 26 years. They worked there between the late 1980s and 2000s and the assaults are said to have occurred in London and Paris, where he owned the Ritz hotel as well as a historic villa once belonging to Edward VIII.
Al Fayed died last year at the age of 94.
According to the documentary, which is accompanied by a “World of Secrets” podcast, also from the BBC, police investigated a rape allegation in 2015 but did not press charges. One woman said she went to police in 2018 but was told that Al Fayed, who had dementia, was too old to be prosecuted.
Thirteen women told the BBC they were sexually assaulted at a block of apartments in Park Lane, where Al Fayed would often offer female employees working late a place to stay. Four said they were raped.
A further nine women said they were sexually assaulted in Paris, with five women alleging attempted rape while one woman said she was raped.
The documentary also includes testimony from colleagues, including a senior manager at Harrods who said Al Fayed’s behavior was “known around the whole company.”
According to the BBC, not only did Harrods fail to intervene, they “helped cover up allegations of sexual abuse.” In July 2023, they say, Harrods began settling claims with some of the women.
A number of women are now preparing legal claims against the department store.
In a statement, Harrods told the BBC they are “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed”, which they “condemn in the strongest possible terms.”
“We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.”
Al Fayed sold Harrods to the Qatari royal family in 2010 for a reported ￡1.5 billion. After his son Dodi’s death, he installed a memorial to Dodi and Diana in the store, which included a wine glass said to be from their last dinner together, a ring he claimed Dodi had proposed to the princess with and a copper statue of the couple holding a bird.
Due to his son’s involvement with the princess, Al Fayed was a key character in the fifth and six seasons of “The Crown,” with an entire episode dedicated to following his rags to riches story.
Some of the women who told the BBC about their experiences with Al Fayed were unhappy with his portrayal in the Netflix series. “It’s not fair that he got he got to die with the legacy he did,” said one.
“Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods” is directed by Erica Gornall (“Ghislaine Maxwell: Making of a Monster”). Mike Radford is executive producer while the producer is Cassie Cornish-Trestrail.
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