Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son Emad El-Din “Dodi” Mohamed Fayed was killed in a 1997 Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana, has been accused of multiple rapes.
According to the BBC, five women have claimed they were raped by Al-Fayed — who died in September 2023 at the age of 94 — when they worked at the luxury London department store Harrods, which Al-Fayed owned from 1985 to 2010.
The BBC revealed on Thursday, Sept. 19 that it had heard testimonies from more than 20 former female staff members who claim the Egyptian businessman sexually assaulted them, with the incidents allegedly taking place in London, St. Tropez, Abu Dhabi and Paris.
The allegations will also be laid out in a BBC documentary airing Thursday, Sept. 19, titled Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. The documentary will reportedly reveal evidence that alleges Harrods failed to intervene and helped cover up abuse allegations during Al-Fayed’s ownership.
Many of the women also allege that when they began working directly for Al-Fayed they underwent medicals, including sexual health tests carried out by doctors, reported the BBC.
The then-Prince Charles with Princess Diana and Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1987.
Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty
In a statement released Sept. 19, Harrods said it was “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al Fayed.”
“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms,” the statement added. “We also acknowledge that during this time as a business, we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise.”
The statement continued, “The Harrods of today is a very different organization to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010. It is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do. This is why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.”
“While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organization, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior can never be repeated in the future,” it concluded.
Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Jeff Overs/BBC News & Current Affairs via Getty
According to the BBC, one woman alleges that Al-Fayed raped her at his London apartment. “I made it obvious that I didn’t want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over,” she told the outlet.
Another woman also claims she was raped at the apartment in upmarket Mayfair when she was a teenager. “We were all so scared. He actively cultivated fear,” she told the BBC. “If he said ‘jump’ employees would ask ‘how high.’ ”
A woman named Sophia, who worked as the billionaire’s personal assistant from 1988 to 1991, also alleges he tried to rape her more than once and that she was sexually assaulted. “I couldn’t leave. I didn’t have a [family] home to go back to, I had to pay rent,” she told the outlet. “I knew I had to go through this and I didn’t want to.”
Another of his personal assistants, Gemma, who worked for Al-Fayed from 2007 to 2009, claims he raped her at Villa Windsor in Paris, a former home of King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson.
Harrods department store in London.
Alamy
Appearing in the BBC documentary, Gemma added that as part of the agreement for her leaving her job, she had to shred all evidence and sign an NDA in return for a sum of money.
She told the BBC that a shredding truck came to her lawyer’s office and a member of HR from Harrods was present.
Meanwhile, Tony Leeming, a former Harrods department manager of 10 years, told the BBC that he was “aware” of “the abuse of women” on the shop floor, but claimed he did not know about the allegations of assault of rape.
Before his death, Al-Fayed faced a number of sexual assault claims in 1997, 2008 and 2017, per the BBC.
Of the women the outlet spoke to for the investigation, a total of 14 have brought civil claims against Harrods for damages. The department store’s current owners started settling these in July 2023, according to the outlet.
Al-Fayed’s son Dodi was in a relationship with Princess Diana when they died during a vacation in France in August 1997. The new couple was traveling in a car in Paris — with a driver and bodyguard — which was being pursued by paparazzi when their vehicle got into an accident in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
