Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English
PremiershipThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
football team
Fulham Football ClubFulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
,
Hôtel Ritz ParisThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
and formerly Harrods Department Store,
KnightsbridgeKnightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. Fayed has three siblings:
AliAli Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and UK citizen. He is Mohamed Al-Fayed's younger brother.Ali Al-Fayed has interests in Harrods, which he bought in 1985, and the Hôtel Ritz Paris, bought in 1979. Both these businesses were bought with his older brother, Mohamed Al-Fayed...
, Salah, and Safia, and married Finnish
socialiteA socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
and former model
Heini WathénHeini Wathén is a former model and Miss Viking pageant winner married to Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, with whom she has four children: daughters Jasmine and Camilla, and sons Kareem and Omar....
in 1985, with whom he had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla, and Omar; and three grandchildren. Fayed's son, Dodi, from his first marriage to
Samira KhashoggiSamira Khashoggi was the first wife of Egyptian born Mohamed Al-Fayed, and the mother of Dodi Fayed.Her father Muhammad Khashoggi was a medical doctor of Turkish descent — the family name means spoonmaker in Turkish.She is the sister of Saudi billionaire Adnan KhashoggiShe met Mohamed Al-Fayed...
,
died in a car crashOn 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
in the
Pont de l'AlmaPont de l'Alma is an arch bridge in Paris, crossing the Seine. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, in which the Franco-British alliance achieved victory over the Russian army on September 20, 1854....
tunnel in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
along with his companion
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and driver
Henri PaulHenri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
on 31 August 1997. Fayed's wealth is estimated at $1.2 billion, making him the 993rd richest person in the world.
Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed is an
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian businessman and billionaire. Amongst his business interests are ownership of the English
PremiershipThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
football team
Fulham Football ClubFulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
,
Hôtel Ritz ParisThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
and formerly Harrods Department Store,
KnightsbridgeKnightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. Fayed has three siblings:
AliAli Al-Fayed is an Egyptian businessman and UK citizen. He is Mohamed Al-Fayed's younger brother.Ali Al-Fayed has interests in Harrods, which he bought in 1985, and the Hôtel Ritz Paris, bought in 1979. Both these businesses were bought with his older brother, Mohamed Al-Fayed...
, Salah, and Safia, and married Finnish
socialiteA socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
and former model
Heini WathénHeini Wathén is a former model and Miss Viking pageant winner married to Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, with whom she has four children: daughters Jasmine and Camilla, and sons Kareem and Omar....
in 1985, with whom he had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla, and Omar; and three grandchildren. Fayed's son, Dodi, from his first marriage to
Samira KhashoggiSamira Khashoggi was the first wife of Egyptian born Mohamed Al-Fayed, and the mother of Dodi Fayed.Her father Muhammad Khashoggi was a medical doctor of Turkish descent — the family name means spoonmaker in Turkish.She is the sister of Saudi billionaire Adnan KhashoggiShe met Mohamed Al-Fayed...
,
died in a car crashOn 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
in the
Pont de l'AlmaPont de l'Alma is an arch bridge in Paris, crossing the Seine. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, in which the Franco-British alliance achieved victory over the Russian army on September 20, 1854....
tunnel in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
along with his companion
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and driver
Henri PaulHenri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
on 31 August 1997. Fayed's wealth is estimated at $1.2 billion, making him the 993rd richest person in the world.
Early life
Born in
Bakos- See also :* Neighborhoods in Alexandria...
(باكوس),
AlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, as the eldest son of an Egyptian primary school teacher, Fayed's first entrepreneurial venture began at school where he sold homemade
lemonadeLemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
. He was married for two years, from 1954 to 1956, to Samira Kashoggi.
United Kingdom
Fayed and his brothers founded a shipping company in Egypt before moving its headquarters to Genoa, Italy with additional offices in
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was then that Fayed moved to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he lived in
central LondonCentral London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. In the mid 1960s, Fayed met the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid al Makhtoum who entrusted Fayed with helping transform
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. Fayed introduced British companies like the
Costain GroupCostain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects.-History:...
(of which he became a director and 30 percent
shareholderA shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
), Bernard Sunley and
Taylor WoodrowTaylor Woodrow was one of the largest British housebuilding and general construction companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with rival George Wimpey to create Taylor Wimpey on 3 July 2007.-Early years:Frank Taylor was...
to the Emirate to carry out the required construction work. He also became a financial adviser to the then Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III, in 1966.
Fayed set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968 Dubai. In 1972, he purchased a Scottish castle and surrounding estate. Fayed spent millions restoring it and was awarded The
Freedom of the Highlands by the Scottish Tourist Board.
British residence
Fayed became resident in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1974 and added the
Al- is the definite article in the Arabic language; a particle whose function is to render the noun on which it is prefixed definite. For example, the word kitāb 'book' can be made definite by prefixing it with al-, resulting in al-kitāb 'the book'...
to his name. He briefly joined the board of the mining conglomerate Lonrho in 1975 but left after a disagreement. In 1979, Fayed bought
The RitzThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
hotel in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
,
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for US$30 million.
In 1984, Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30 percent stake in
House of FraserHouse of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
, a group that included the famous London store
HarrodsHarrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, from
Roland 'Tiny' RowlandRoland "Tiny" Rowland was a British businessman and chairman of the Lonrho conglomerate from 1962 to 1994...
, the head of Lonrho. In 1985, he and his brothers bought the remaining 70 percent of House of Fraser for £615m. Rowland claimed the Fayed brothers had lied about their background and wealth and put pressure on the government to investigate them. A
Department of Trade and IndustryThe Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was replaced with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 June 2007.-History:The...
(DTI) inquiry into the Fayeds was launched. The DTI's subsequent report was critical, but no action was taken against the Fayeds, and whilst many believed the contents of the report, others felt it was politically motivated.
In 1998, Rowland accused Fayed of stealing papers and jewels from his Harrods
safe deposit boxA safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
. Fayed was arrested, but the charges were dropped. Rowland died in 1998. Fayed settled the dispute with a payment to his widow; he also sued the
Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
for false arrest in 2002, but lost the case.
Fayed set up the Al Fayed Charitable Foundation in 1987 that aims to help children with life-limiting conditions and children living in poverty. In 1994, House of Fraser went public, but Fayed retained private ownership of Harrods. He relaunched the humour publication
Punch in 1996 but it folded again in 2002. Al Fayed unsuccessfullly applied for British citizenship twice - once in 1994 and once in 1999. It has been suggested that the feud with Rowland contributed to Fayed's being refused British citizenship the first time.
In 1994, in what became known as the
cash-for-questions affairThe "Cash-for-questions affair" was one of the biggest political scandals of the 1990s in the United Kingdom.It began in October 1994 when The Guardian newspaper alleged that London's most successful parliamentary lobbyist, Ian Greer of Ian Greer Associates, had bribed two Conservative Members of...
, Fayed revealed the names of MPs he had paid to ask questions in parliament on his behalf, but who had failed to declare their fees. It saw the
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MPs
Neil HamiltonMostyn Neil Hamilton is a former British barrister, teacher and Conservative MP. Since losing his seat in 1997 and leaving politics, Hamilton and his wife Christine have become media celebrities...
and
Tim SmithTimothy John Smith, known as Tim Smith, is a former British Conservative politician.-Politics:...
leave the government in disgrace, and a Committee on Standards in Public Life established to prevent such corruption occurring again. Fayed also revealed that the cabinet minister
Jonathan AitkenJonathan William Patrick Aitken is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months...
had stayed for free at the
Ritz Hotel in ParisThe Hôtel Ritz is a grand palatial hotel in the heart of Paris, the 1st arrondissement. It overlooks the octagonal border of the Place Vendôme at number 15...
at the same time as a group of Saudi arms dealers leading to Aitken's subsequent unsuccessful libel case and imprisonment for perjury. During this period Fayed was represented publicly by
public relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
expert and former BBC journalist
Michael ColeMichael Cole is an English public relations expert, journalist and media personality.-Journalism:Cole qualified as a journalist and spent 27 years as a reporter, most notably on Anglia Television and as a correspondent for the BBC, with whom he won two Royal Television Society 'Best Home News...
.
In 2003, Fayed moved from
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, UK to
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, alleging a breach in an agreement with
Inland RevenueThe Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
. In 2005, he moved back to
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, saying that he "regards Britain as home". He moors a yacht in
MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
called the
SokarSokar is a luxury yacht owned by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods department store in Knightsbridge. It is named after the Egyptian mythology falcon god Sokar. The yacht was designed by naval architect Vincenzo Ruggiero in the late 1980s and built by Codecasa in...
.
After previously denying that Harrods was for sale, Harrods was sold to
Qatar HoldingsThe Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, specializing in domestic and foreign investment. It was founded in 2005 to manage the oil and natural gas surpluses by the Government of Qatar...
, the
sovereign wealth fundA sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund composed of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, property, precious metals or other financial instruments. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Some of them have grabbed attention making bad investments in several Wall Street financial...
of the emirate of
QatarQatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, on 10 May 2010. A fortnight previously, Fayed had stated that "People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Fair enough. But I put two fingers up to them. It is not for sale. This is not Marks and Spencer or Sainsbury's. It is a special place that gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca."
Harrods was sold for £1.5
billion1,000,000,000 is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.In scientific notation, it is written as 109....
. Fayed later revealed in an interview that he decided to sell Harrods following the difficulty in getting his
dividendDividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
approved by the trustee of the Harrods pension fund. Fayed said "I'm here every day, I can't take my profit because I have to take a permission of those bloody idiots...I say is this right? Is this logic? Somebody like me? I run a business and I need to take bloody fucking trustee's permission to take my profit" Fayed was appointed honorary chairman of Harrods, a position he will hold for at least six months.
Fulham FC
Fayed bought Second Division (equivalent to modern
Football League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
)
Fulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
from chairman
Jimmy HillJames William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
in the summer of 1997. His initial, ambitious long-term aim was that Fulham would become a
FA Premier LeagueThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
side within five years. To this end he installed the managerial "dream team" of
Ray WilkinsRaymond Colin Wilkins MBE , often known as "Butch" Wilkins, is an English former footballer and at present a television pundit...
and
Kevin KeeganJoseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
, which resulted in the sacking of
Micky AdamsMichael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
, who had guided Fulham to promotion from the then named Third Division.
Fulham stormed to the Second Division title with a record 101 points in 1999. Kevin Keegan was appointed manager of England at this time. In 2001, Fulham took the First Division (now
Football League ChampionshipThe Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
) under manager
Jean TiganaJean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...
, winning 100 points and scoring over 100 goals in the season. This meant that Fayed had achieved his objective of Fulham being a Premiership club a year ahead of schedule. Also, by 2002, Fulham were competing in European football, winning the Intertoto Cup and challenging in the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
.
Fayed stated that he wanted Fulham to become the "Manchester United of the South". On 5 May 2007, Fayed celebrated his 10th year with Fulham. This was marked by a 1-0 win over Liverpool, which ensured that the club retained their Premiership status for another season.
In 2009, Fulham had finished 7th in the Premier League, making them eligible to play in the newly formed Europa League, the European competition that succeeded the
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. In the 2009-2010 season, Fulham qualified to the Europa League final against Atlético Madrid.
In April 2011, Al-Fayed divided opinion amongst Fulham fans by erecting a statue of
Michael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
that was originally intended for Harrods, outside Craven Cottage. In response to negative comments about the statue he said "Why is it bizarre? Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world they can go to hell. I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else."
Dodi's death
Fayed's son, Dodi, was romantically involved with
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. However, on 31 August 1997, both Diana and Dodi died in a
car crashOn 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
in the
Pont de l'AlmaPont de l'Alma is an arch bridge in Paris, crossing the Seine. It was named to commemorate the Battle of Alma during the Crimean War, in which the Franco-British alliance achieved victory over the Russian army on September 20, 1854....
tunnel in
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Fayed believed that the driver,
Henri PaulHenri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
, had plotted with the
Royal FamilyThe British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
to kill Diana and Dodi. On 2 October 2007, an inquest was opened in London. On 18 February 2008, Fayed accused
The Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and
The Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
of killing Diana and Dodi because the Prince was furious that Diana was dating Dodi. His testimony was roundly condemned in the press as being farcical. Members of the British Government's
Intelligence and Security CommitteeThe Intelligence and Security Committee is a committee of parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister to oversee the work of the Intelligence machinery of the United Kingdom...
accused him of turning the inquest into a 'circus' and called for it to be ended maturely. The inquest lasted for six months, and the jury verdict, declared given on 7 April 2008, was that Diana and Dodi had been unlawfully killed through the negligent driving of their Mercedes and the pursuing vehicles.
Business interests
Al-Fayed's business interests include:
- Ritz Hotel Paris
- Balnagowan Estates
- Fulham FC
- HJW Geospatial
Al-Fayed's major business purchases have included:
- Ritz Hotel Paris (1979)
- House of Fraser Group, including Harrods (1985, £615 million)
- Fulham FC (1997, £30 million)."
External links