Mohamed Al-Fayed

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mohamed Al-Fayed
محمد الفايد
Al-Fayed in 2011
Born(1929-01-27)27 January 1929
Died30 August 2023(2023-08-30) (aged 94)
London, England
Burial placeBarrow Green Court
OccupationBusinessman
Spouses
  • (m. 1954; div. 1956)
  • (m. 1985)
Children5, including Dodi and Omar

Mohamed Al-Fayed[a] (/ælˈf.ɛd/; 27 January 1929 – 30 August 2023) was an Egyptian businessman whose residence and chief business interests were in the United Kingdom from the mid-1960s. His business interests included ownership of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, and Harrods department store and Fulham Football Club, both in London. At the time of his death in 2023, Fayed's wealth was estimated at US$2 billion.[1]

Fayed was married to Samira Khashoggi from 1954 to 1956, and they had a son, Dodi. Dodi was in a relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, when they both died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Early life and family

Mohamed Al-Fayed was born on 27 January 1929 in the Roshdy neighbourhood of Alexandria, in the Kingdom of Egypt,[2] the eldest son of an Egyptian primary school teacher from Asyut. His year of birth has been disputed.[3] His website, alfayed.com,[4] used to claim he was born in 1933,[5] but the Department of Trade found his date of birth was 27 January 1929.[3] The website changed his birthyear from "1933" to "1929" in 2011.[5] His brothers Ali and Salah have been his business colleagues.[6]

Fayed was married from 1954 to 1956 to Samira Khashoggi. He worked with his wife's brother, Saudi Arabian arms dealer and businessman Adnan Khashoggi.[7] In 1985, Fayed married the Finnish socialite and former model Heini Wathén, with whom he had four children: daughters Jasmine[8] (born 1980) and Camilla[9] (born 1985), and sons Karim[10] (born 1983) and Omar[11] (born 1987).

Sometime in the early 1970s, he began using "Al-Fayed" rather than "Fayed". His brothers Ali and Salah followed suit at the time of their acquisition of the House of Fraser in the 1980s, though by the late 1980s, both had reverted to calling themselves simply "Fayed".[12] Some have assumed that Fayed's addition of "Al-" to his name was to imply aristocratic origins, like "de" in French or "von" in German, though Al- does not have the same social connotations in Arabic.[7] This assumption led to Private Eye magazine nicknaming him the "Phoney Pharaoh".[13]

United Kingdom

Early business dealings

Wax sculpture of Al-Fayed, Madame Tussauds, London, July 2009

Fayed and his brothers founded a shipping company in Egypt before moving its headquarters to Genoa, Italy, with offices in London.[14]

Around 1964, Fayed entered a close relationship with Haitian leader François Duvalier, known as 'Papa Doc', and became interested in the construction of a Fayed-Duvalier oil refinery in Haiti. He also associated with the geologist George de Mohrenschildt. Fayed terminated his stay in Haiti six months later when a sample of "crude oil" provided by Haitian associates proved to be low-grade molasses.[15]

Fayed then moved to England, where he lived in central London.[14] In the mid-1960s, he met the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who entrusted him with helping transform Dubai, where he set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968.[16] Fayed introduced British companies like the Costain Group (of which he became a director and 30% shareholder[7]), Bernard Sunley & Sons, and Taylor Woodrow to the emirate to carry out the required construction work.[17][14] He also became a financial adviser to the then Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III in 1966.[7]

Fayed briefly joined the board of the mining conglomerate Lonrho in 1975 but left after a disagreement.[18]

In 1979, he bought The Ritz hotel in Paris, France, for US$30 million.[19]

In 1984, Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30% stake in House of Fraser, a group that included the London store Harrods, from Roland 'Tiny' Rowland, the head of Lonrho. In 1985, he and his brothers bought the remaining 70% of House of Fraser for £615m. Rowland claimed that the Fayed brothers lied about their background and wealth and he put pressure on the government to investigate them. A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inquiry into the Fayeds was launched. The DTI's subsequent report was critical, but no action was taken against the Fayeds, and while many believed the contents of the report, others felt it was politically motivated.[20] Rowland described his relationship with the Fayed family in his book A Hero from Zero.[21]

In 1998, Rowland accused Fayed of stealing papers and jewels from his Harrods safe deposit box. Fayed was arrested, but the charges were dropped.[22] Rowland died in 1998. Fayed settled the dispute with a payment to his widow; he also sued the Metropolitan Police for false arrest in 2002, but lost the case.[23]

In 1994, House of Fraser went public, but Fayed retained the private ownership of Harrods.[24]

Al-Fayed re-launched the humorous magazine Punch in 1996 but it folded again in 2002.[25]

Al-Fayed unsuccessfully applied for British citizenship twice, in 1994 and 1999.[26][27] It has been suggested that his feud with Rowland contributed to the first refusal.[3]

Cash-for-questions

In 1994, in what became known as the cash-for-questions affair, 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 Conservative MPs Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith leave the government in disgrace, and a Committee on Standards in Public Life established to prevent such corruption occurring again. Fayed also revealed that cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken stayed for free at the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the same time as a group of Saudi arms dealers, leading to Aitken's subsequent unsuccessful libel case and imprisonment for perjury.[28] During this period in 1988, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist.[29]

Hamilton lost a subsequent libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999[30] and a subsequent appeal against the verdict in December 2000.[31] The former MP has always denied that he was paid by Al-Fayed for asking questions in Parliament. Hamilton's libel action related to a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary broadcast on 16 January 1997[32] in which Al-Fayed made claims that the MP had received up to £110,000 in cash and other gratuities for asking parliamentary questions.[33] Hamilton's basis for his appeal was that the original verdict was invalid because Al-Fayed had paid £10,000 for documents stolen from the dustbins of Hamilton's legal representatives by Benjamin Pell.[34]

In 2003, Fayed moved from Surrey, UK, to Switzerland, alleging a breach in an agreement with the British tax authority. In 2005, he moved back to Britain, saying that he "regards Britain as home".[3] He moored a yacht called the Sokar in Monaco prior to selling it in 2014.[35]

Sale of Harrods

After denials that Harrods was for sale, it was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, 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."[36]

Harrods was sold for £1.5 billion. Fayed later revealed in an interview that he decided to sell Harrods following the difficulty in getting his dividend 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".[37] Fayed was appointed honorary chairman of Harrods, a position he was scheduled to hold for at least six months.[37]

Scotland real estate

In 1972 , Fayed purchased the Balnagown estate in Easter Ross, Northern Scotland. From an initial 4.8 hectares (12 acres), Al-Fayed went on to build the estate up to 26,300 hectares (65,000 acres).[38] Al-Fayed invested more than £20 million in the estate, restored the 14th-century pink Balnagown Castle, and created a tourist accommodation business.[38] The Highlands of Scotland tourist board awarded Al-Fayed the Freedom of the Scottish Highlands in 2002, in recognition of his "efforts to promote the area".[39]

As an Egyptian with links to Scotland, Al-Fayed was intrigued enough to fund a 2008 reprint of the 15th-century chronicle Scotichronicon by Walter Bower. The Scotichronicon describes how Scota, a daughter of an Egyptian Pharaoh, fled her family and landed in Scotland, bringing with her the Stone of Scone. According to the chronicle, Scotland was later named in her honour. The tale is disputed by modern historians.[40] Al-Fayed later declared that "The Scots are originally Egyptians and that's the truth."[41]

In 2009, Al-Fayed revealed that he was a supporter of Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, announcing to the Scots that "It's time for you to waken up and detach yourselves from the English and their terrible politicians...whatever help is needed for Scotland to regain its independence, I will provide it...when you Scots regain your freedom, I am ready to be your president."[41]

Charity

Fayed set up the Al Fayed Charitable Foundation in 1987 aiming to help children with life-limiting conditions and children living in poverty. The charity works mainly with charities and hospices for disabled and neglected children in the UK, Thailand, and Mongolia.[42]

Some of the charities with which it works include Francis House Hospice in Manchester, Great Ormond Street Hospital, and ChildLine. In 1998, Al-Fayed bought Princess Diana's old boarding school in Kent and helped found the New School at West Heath for children with additional needs and mental health problems.[43]

In 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed's daughter Camilla, who had worked as an ambassador for the charity for eight years,[44] opened the newly refurbished Zoe's Place baby hospice in West Derby, Liverpool.[45]

Fulham F.C.

Al-Fayed bought west London professional football club Fulham F.C. for £6.25 million in 1997.[46] The purchase was made via Bill Muddyman's Muddyman Group.[46] His long-term aim was that Fulham would become a Premier League side within five years. In the 2000–01 season, Fulham won the First Division under manager Jean Tigana, winning 101 points and scoring 90 goals, and were promoted to the Premier League. This meant that Al-Fayed had achieved his Premier League aim a year ahead of schedule.[47] By 2002, Fulham were competing in European football, winning the Intertoto Cup and participating in the UEFA Cup. Fulham reached the 2010 UEFA Europa League final, which they lost to Atletico Madrid,[47] and continued to play in the Premier League throughout Al-Fayed's tenure as owner, which ended in 2013.[48]

Fulham temporarily left Craven Cottage while it was being upgraded to meet modern safety standards. There were fears that the club would not return to the Cottage after it was revealed that Al-Fayed had sold the first right to build on the ground to a property development firm.[49]

Fulham lost a legal case against former manager Jean Tigana in 2004 after Al-Fayed had wrongly alleged that Tigana had overpaid more than £7m for new players and had negotiated transfers in secret.[50] In 2009, Al-Fayed said that he was in favour of a wage cap for footballers, and criticised the management of The Football Association and Premier League as "run by donkeys who don't understand business, who are dazzled by money."[51]

A statue of the American entertainer Michael Jackson was unveiled by Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Craven Cottage. In 1999 Jackson had attended a league game against Wigan Athletic at the stadium. Following criticism of the statue, Al-Fayed said "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."[52] The statue was taken down by the club's new owners in 2013; Al-Fayed blamed the club's subsequent relegation from the Premier League on the 'bad luck' brought by its removal. Al-Fayed then donated the statue to the National Football Museum.[53] In March 2019, the statue was removed from the museum due to the backlash against Jackson caused by the child-abuse accusations against him in the documentary Leaving Neverland.[54]

Under Al-Fayed Fulham F.C. was owned by Mafco Holdings, based in the tax haven of Bermuda and in turn owned by Al-Fayed and his family. By 2011, Al-Fayed had lent Fulham F.C. £187 million in interest free loans.[55] In July 2013, it was announced that Al-Fayed had sold the club to Pakistani American businessman Shahid Khan, who owns the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.[56]

Business interests

75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York

Al-Fayed's business interests included:

Al-Fayed's major business purchases included:

  • House of Fraser Group, including Harrods (1985, £615 million; sold 2010, £1.5 billion)[60]
  • Fulham Football Club (1997, £30 million;[26] sold 2013 for between £150 and £200 million[56])
  • After the death of Wallis Simpson, Fayed took over the lease of the Villa Windsor in Paris, the former home of the Duchess of Windsor and her husband, the Duke of Windsor, previously Edward VIII.[61] Together with his valet Sydney Johnson, who had also been valet to the Duke, he organised the restoration of the villa and its collections.[62]

Death of Dodi Fayed

Background and relationship with Princess Diana

Lady Diana Spencer married the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), in 1981, becoming Princess of Wales. Diana was an international celebrity and a frequent visitor to Harrods in the 1980s. Al-Fayed and Dodi first met Diana and Charles in July 1986 when they were introduced at a polo tournament sponsored by Harrods.[63]

Diana and Charles divorced in 1996, after what was mostly a tumultuous marriage. Diana was hosted by Al-Fayed in the south of France in mid-1997, with her sons, Princes William and Harry.[64] For the holiday, Fayed bought a 195 ft yacht, the Jonikal (later renamed the Sokar).[65] Dodi and Diana later began a private cruise on the Jonikal and paparazzi photographs of the couple in an embrace were published. Diana's friend, the journalist Richard Kay, confirmed that Diana was involved in "her first serious romance" since her divorce.[66]

Dodi and Diana went on a second private cruise on the Jonikal in the third week of August, and returned from Sardinia to Paris on 30 August. Later that day, the couple privately dined at the Ritz, after the behaviour of the press caused them to cancel a restaurant reservation. They planned to spend the night at Dodi's apartment near the Arc de Triomphe.[67] In an attempt to deceive the paparazzi, a decoy car left the front of the hotel, while Diana and Dodi departed from the rear of the hotel in a Mercedes-Benz S280 driven by concierge Henri Paul.[67] Five minutes later, the car crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Dodi and Paul were found dead at this location. Though conscious after the car crashed, Diana died later in hospital. British bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who sustained a serious head injury, was the sole survivor of the crash. Fayed arrived in Paris a day later and viewed Dodi's body, which was finally returned to the United Kingdom for an Islamic funeral.[67][68]

Conspiracy theories

From February 1998, Al-Fayed maintained that the crash was a result of a conspiracy,[69] and later contended that the crash was orchestrated by MI6 on the instructions of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[70] His claims were dismissed by a French judicial investigation, but Fayed appealed the verdict.[71][72]

The British Operation Paget, a Metropolitan police inquiry that concluded in 2006, also found no evidence of a conspiracy.[73] To Operation Paget, Al-Fayed made 175 "conspiracy claims".[74]

An inquest headed by Lord Justice Scott Baker into the deaths of Diana and Dodi began at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, on 2 October 2007 and lasted for six months. It was a continuation of the original inquest that had begun in 2004.[75]

At the Scott Baker inquest, Fayed accused the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, her sister, and numerous others, of plotting to kill the Princess of Wales.[76] Their motive, he claimed, was that they could not tolerate the idea of the Princess marrying a Muslim.[77]

Al-Fayed first claimed that the Princess was pregnant to the Daily Express in May 2001,[77] and that he was the only person who had been told. Witnesses at the inquest who said the Princess was not pregnant, and could not have been, were part of the conspiracy according to Al-Fayed.[78] Fayed's testimony at the inquest was roundly condemned in the press as farcical. Members of the British Government's Intelligence and Security Committee accused Fayed of turning the inquest into a 'circus' and called for it to be ended prematurely.[79] Lawyers representing Al-Fayed later accepted at the inquest that there was no direct evidence that either the Duke of Edinburgh or MI6 were involved in any murder conspiracy involving Diana or Dodi.[80] A few days before Al-Fayed's appearance, John Macnamara, a former senior detective at Scotland Yard and Al-Fayed's investigator for five years from 1997, was forced to admit on 14 February 2008 that he had no evidence to suggest foul play, except for the assertions Al-Fayed had made to him.[81] His admissions also related to the lack of evidence for Al-Fayed's claims of the Princess's pregnancy and the couple's engagement.[81]

The jury verdict, given on 7 April 2008, was that Diana and Dodi were "unlawfully killed" through the grossly negligent driving of Henri Paul,[82] who was intoxicated, and the pursuing vehicles.[83]

Al-Fayed's lawyers accepted that there was no evidence to support the assertion that Diana was illegally embalmed to conceal pregnancy, or that a pregnancy could be confirmed by any medical evidence.[80] They also accepted that there was no evidence to support the assertion that the French emergency and medical services had played any role in a conspiracy to harm Diana.[80] Following the Baker inquest, Al-Fayed said that he was abandoning his conspiracy campaign, and would accept the jury's verdict.[84]

Journalist Dominic Lawson wrote in The Independent in 2008 that Al-Fayed sought to concoct "a conspiracy to cover up the true circumstances" of fatalities caused by the crash "involving an intoxicated and over-excited driver (an employee of Mohamed Fayed's Paris Ritz)". He "had remarkable success in persuading elements of the tabloid press, notably the Daily Express, to give the conspiracy a fair wind."[85]

Al-Fayed financially supported Unlawful Killing (2011), a documentary film presenting his version of events.[86] It was not formally released because of the potential for libel suits.[87]

Sexual harassment allegations

Al-Fayed was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and assault.[88][89] Young women applying for employment at Harrods were often submitted to HIV tests and gynaecological examinations.[90] They were then selected to spend the weekend with Al-Fayed in Paris.[90] In her profile of Al-Fayed for Vanity Fair, Maureen Orth described how, according to former employees, "Fayed regularly walked the store on the lookout for young, attractive women to work in his office. Those who rebuffed him would often be subjected to crude, humiliating comments about their appearance or dress... A dozen ex-employees I spoke with said that Fayed would chase secretaries around the office and sometimes try to stuff money down women's blouses".[91]

In December 1997, the ITV current affairs programme The Big Story broadcast testimonies from a number of former Harrods employees who spoke of how Al-Fayed routinely sexually harassed women in similar ways.[89] Al-Fayed was interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police after an allegation of sexual assault against a 15-year-old schoolgirl in October 2008. The case was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service when they found there was no realistic chance of conviction due to conflicting statements.[92]

A December 2017 episode of Channel 4's Dispatches programme alleged that Al-Fayed sexually harassed three female Harrods employees, and attempted to "groom" them. One of the employees was aged 17 at the time. Cheska Hill-Wood waived her right to anonymity to be interviewed for the programme.[93] The programme alleged Al-Fayed targeted young employees over a 13-year period.[94]

Death

Al-Fayed died in London on 30 August 2023, at the age of 94.[95][96][97] His cause of death was listed as old age and was announced on 1 September. He was buried that day at Barrow Green Court alongside Dodi,[98] after a funeral service during Friday prayers at London Central Mosque.[99]

In popular culture

Al-Fayed is portrayed in seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown by Salim Daw.[100][101][102]

Notes

  1. ^ Arabic: محمد الفايد. Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [mæˈħæmmæd elˈfæːjed].

References

  1. ^ "The World's Celebrities". Forbes. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  2. ^ Who's Who. London: A & C Black. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8.
  3. ^ a b c d "Profile of Mohamed Al Fayed". BBC News. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ domain name verification: Miller, Bill (31 August 2000). "Lawsuit Seeks Secret Files In Death of Princess Diana". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2022. He has created a Web site – www.alfayed.com
  5. ^ a b Revision history of Biography in www.alfayed.com
    • "Biography". Alfayed.com – The website of Mohamed Al-Fayed. Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2022. Mohamed was born in 1933 in Alexandria, Egypt.
    • "Biography". Alfayed.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2022. Mohamed was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 27th 1933.
    • "Biography". Alfayed.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2022. Mohamed was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 27th 1929.
  6. ^ Wild, Abigail (10 January 2004). "Beset by secrets and lies Profile: Mohamed al Fayed". Sunday Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Vallely, Paul (6 October 2007). "Mohamed al-Fayed: The outsider". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  8. ^ Harries, Rhiannon (21 September 2008). "Daddy's girl: Mohamed al-Fayed's daughter Jasmine is gaining a reputation as a hot young designer". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  9. ^ Curtis, Nick. "Camilla Fayed: My upbringing? Let's say my normal is not your normal". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Karim Fayed: The sound engineer". Evening Standard. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  11. ^ Isaac, Anna (3 April 2017). "Omar Fayed: 'I didn't want to become Mr Harrods'". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  12. ^ Brooke & Aldous 1988, p. 619
  13. ^ Tyler, Richard; Mendick, Robert (8 May 2010). "£1.5bn change in store at Harrods". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  14. ^ a b c Lindsay, Robert (10 May 2010). "Mohamed Al Fayed — the outsider with a taste for confrontation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  15. ^ Tunzelmann, Alex (29 March 2011). Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder and the Cold War in the Caribbean. Henry Holt and Co., 2011. p. 330f. ISBN 978-0-8050-9067-3.
  16. ^ Salihovic, Elnur (5 October 2015). Major Players in the Muslim Business World. Universal Publishers. pp. 117–118. ISBN 9781627340526.
  17. ^ Feder, Barnaby J. (8 September 1985). "Harrod's New Owner: Mohamed Al-Fayed; a Quiet Acquisitor Is Caught in a Cross Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  18. ^ "History of Harrods department store". BBC News. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  19. ^ Boxer, Mark (1991). The Paris Ritz. New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-01427-1.
  20. ^ Buckingham, Lisa (5 June 1997). "Finance: DTI inquiries under attack". The Guardian.
  21. ^ R. W. Rowland (1998). A Hero from Zero. Greenaway Harrison, London.
  22. ^ "Harrods Box Charges Dropped". BBC News. 20 July 1998.
  23. ^ Wilson, Jamie (13 August 2002). "Fayed loses High Court Action Against Met". The Guardian.
  24. ^ "About". The House of Fraser Archive. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  25. ^ John Morrish, Paul Bradshaw, Magazine Editing: In Print and Online. Routledge, 2012. ISBN 1136642072 (p. ƒƒ32).
  26. ^ a b "Al Fayed: A Unique Story of Rags to Riches". BBC News. 12 February 1998.
  27. ^ "Law Report: Minister acted unfairly towards the Fayeds". The Independent. 19 November 1996. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022.
  28. ^ "UK Politics: Talking Politics, Neil Hamilton – A chronology". BBC News. 19 October 1998.
  29. ^ Boggan, Steve (21 February 1998). "Conspiracies abound as Cole quits 'toughest job in PR'". The Independent.
  30. ^ Wells, Matt; Wilson, Jamie; Pallister, David (22 December 1999). "A greedy, corrupt liar". The Guardian.
  31. ^ "Neil Hamilton loses libel appeal". The Guardian. 21 December 2000.
  32. ^ "Appendix 33 – continued: Appendix 1 Channel 4 and Fourth Estate Press Releases" Archived 27 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Select Committee on Standards and Privileges First Report, House of Commons, January 1997
  33. ^ "Hamilton loses libel case". BBC News. 21 December 1999.
  34. ^ Moss, Steven (12 December 2000). "Fayed 'paid for stolen papers'". The Guardian.
  35. ^ "Monaco Yacht Show". Holiday. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  36. ^ "Qatar, the tiny gulf state that bought the world". The Independent. 11 May 2010. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  37. ^ a b Leith, Sam (26 May 2010). "Mohammed Fayed: Why I Sold Harrods". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  38. ^ a b Kelbie, Paul (4 July 2005). "Al-Fayed to fill Highland estate with jet-set homes". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012.
  39. ^ "Highlands freedom for al-Fayed". BBC News. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  40. ^ Wade, Mike (19 May 2008). "Al Fayed, a Princess and another theory the establishment denies". The Times. London.
  41. ^ a b Horne, Marc (25 October 2009). "Forget Salmond: Make me your ruler". The Times. London.
  42. ^ "Who we are". The AlFayed Charitable Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  43. ^ Ware, Gemma (11 January 2006). "The charitable side of ... Mohamed Al Fayed". The Third Sector. Haymarket Media Group. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  44. ^ Collinson, Dawn (27 March 2013). "Heiress Camilla Al Fayed on why Liverpool babies' hospice Zoe's Place is an inspiration". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  45. ^ "Camilla Al Fayed opens newly refurbished Zoe's Place baby hospice in West Derby". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  46. ^ a b Bose, Mihir (7 February 2003). "Fulham pushed out Hill". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  47. ^ a b Polden, Jake (1 September 2023). "Mohamed Al Fayed: Owner who promised Fulham fans Man Utd dreams and offered stars Viagra". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  48. ^ "Fulham's relegation and the curse of Michael Jackson's statue". BBC News. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  49. ^ "Fulham's future hangs in balance". BBC Sport. 15 September 2003.
  50. ^ "Fulham lose Tigana court battle". BBC News. 12 November 2004.
  51. ^ Charles, Chris (29 April 2009). "Sport quotes of the week". BBC Sport.
  52. ^ "Michael Jackson Fulham FC statue defended by Al Fayed". BBC News. 3 April 2011.
  53. ^ "Michael Jackson statue moves to National Football Museum". BBC News. 6 May 2014.
  54. ^ "Michael Jackson statue: National Football Museum removes artwork". BBC News. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  55. ^ Conn, David (19 May 2010). "Record income but record losses for Premier League". The Guardian. London.
  56. ^ a b "Al-Fayed sells Fulham to Shahid Khan". BBC Sport. 12 July 2013.
  57. ^ "Our History". Balnagown Estate. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  58. ^ "75 Rockefeller Plaza – Time Warner Lease – Mohamed Al-Fayed". The Real Deal New York. 25 January 2012.
  59. ^ Levitt, David M. (15 January 2013). "RXR Said to Buy 99-Year Leasehold at 75 Rockefeller Plaza". Bloomberg.com.
  60. ^ "Mohammed Fayed sells Harrods store to Qatar Holdings". BBC News. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
  61. ^ Wadler, Joyce; Hauptfuhrer, Fred (1 January 1990). "Egypt's Al Fayed Restores the House Fit for a Former King". People. Archived from the original on 5 May 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  62. ^ "Windsor's Paris Home to Become Museum". The New York Times. 25 December 1986. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  63. ^ van Drehle, David (31 August 1997). "Diana's Life on Display: Sometimes Storybook, Sometimes Soap Opera". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  64. ^ McGinty, Stephen (3 October 2007). "Coroner at Diana inquest dismisses all the conspiracy theories over fatal car crash Mohamed al-Fayed expresses surprise over the tone and content of remarks he says should be left to the jury to consider". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  65. ^ Dunne, Dominick (19 May 2010). "Two Ladies, Two Yachts, and a Billionaire". Vanity Fair. New York. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  66. ^ "Di and Dodi's short summer". Chicago Sun-Times. 7 September 1997. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  67. ^ a b c "Diana and Dodi: Their final hours". BBC News. 14 December 2006.
  68. ^ "Fayed Is Buried After Quiet Islamic Tribute". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 1 September 1997. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  69. ^ "Diana crash was a conspiracy – Al Fayed". BBC News. 12 February 1998.
  70. ^ "Point-by-point: Al Fayed's claims". BBC News. 19 February 1998.
  71. ^ "France closes Diana investigation". CNN World. 4 April 2002. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  72. ^ "Fayed risks huge lawsuit with appeal against Diana verdict". The Observer. 5 September 1999. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  73. ^ "Diana death a 'tragic accident'". BBC News. 14 December 2006.
  74. ^ Gregory, Martyn (7 October 2007). "Al-Fayed can't rewrite the death of Diana". The Independent.
  75. ^ "Inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr Dodi Al Fayed: FAQs". Coroner's Inquests into the Deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr Dodi Al Fayed. Judicial Communications Office. 2008. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  76. ^ Bates, Stephen (19 February 2008). "They're all guilty? 'Definitely.' Fayed gets his day in court". The Guardian.
  77. ^ a b Balakrishnan, Angela (7 April 2008). "Pregnancy rumours, MI6 plots and Henri Paul". The Guardian.
  78. ^ "Diana murdered, Al Fayed claims". BBC News. 18 February 2008.
  79. ^ "Coroner warning in Diana inquest". BBC News. 21 February 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  80. ^ a b c "Fayed conspiracy claim collapses". BBC News. 7 April 2008.
  81. ^ a b Bates, Stephen (15 February 2008). "Diana conspiracy theory unravels as Fayed's investigator tells of lies and lack of evidence". The Guardian.
  82. ^ "Hearing transcripts: 7 April 2008 – Verdict of the jury". Judicial Communications Office. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  83. ^ "Diana jury blames paparazzi and Henri Paul for her 'unlawful killing'". The Daily Telegraph. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  84. ^ "Al Fayed abandons Diana campaign". BBC News. 8 April 2008.
  85. ^ Lawson, Dominic (4 April 2008). "The only conspiracy over Diana's death was Fayed's bid to manipulate the British public". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  86. ^ Singh, Anita (13 May 2011). "Unlawful Killing: film about the death of Diana likens Prince Philip to Fred West". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  87. ^ Child, Ben (5 July 2012). "Princess Diana documentary Unlawful Killing is shelved". The Guardian. London.
  88. ^ Porter, Henry (24 October 1998). "Crossing swords with Mohamed". The Guardian. London.
  89. ^ a b Boggan, Steve (20 December 1997). "Al Fayed Accused: Harrods boss rejects charges of lechery and bugging". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022.
  90. ^ a b Bower, Tom (1998). Fayed:⟨⟩ The Unauthorized Biography. Macmillan. pp. 271–72. ISBN 978-0-333-74554-0.
  91. ^ Orth, Maureen (1 September 1995). "Holy War at Harrods". Vanity Fair.
  92. ^ "No Sex Charges for Harrods Owner". BBC News. 17 February 2009.
  93. ^ Mendick, Robert (8 December 2017). "Mohamed Al-Fayed accused of harassing 17-year-old Harrods' employee". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  94. ^ Brown, David (8 December 2017). "Mohamed Al Fayed accused of sexually harassing young staff". The Times. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  95. ^ Weston, Katie; Merrifield, Ryan; Forsey, Zoe (1 September 2023). "Mohamed al Fayed dies as tributes paid to former owner of Harrods and Fulham FC". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  96. ^ "Mohamed Al Fayed: Former Harrods owner dies at 94". BBC News. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  97. ^ Atef, Rana (1 September 2023). "Veteran Businessman Mohamed Al Fayed Passes away Aged 94". Sada El-Balad. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  98. ^ Kelly, Kieran (2 September 2023). "Mohamed Al-Fayed buried next to son on family estate almost 26 years after Dodi died in car crash with Princess Diana". LBC News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023.
  99. ^ Lynch, Niamh (1 September 2023). "Mohamed Al Fayed: Former Harrods and Fulham FC owner has died at the age of 94". Sky News. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  100. ^ Gaughan, Liam (12 November 2022). "'The Crown' Season 5: Did Mohamed and Dodi Al-Fayed Really Produce 'Chariots of Fire'?". Collider. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  101. ^ Allfree, Claire (14 November 2022). "The Crown star Salim Daw on finding Mohamed Al-Fayed's humanity: 'I love him with all my heart'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  102. ^ "'The Crown' Accused Of Fabricating Genesis Of Princess Diana & Dodi Fayed's Fateful Romance". Deadline. 16 November 2023.

Bibliography

  • Brooke, Henry; Aldous, Hugh Graham Cazalet (1988). House of Fraser Holdings Plc: Investigation Under Section 432 (2) of the Companies Act 1985: Report. H.M. Stationery Office. ISBN 978-0-11-514652-7.

External links