Nearly two dozen former employees of Mohamed Al-Fayed — father of Princess Diana’s partner Dodi Fayed , who died alongside the royal in 1997 — are accusing the late billionaire of having raped or otherwise sexually assaulted them . The former owner of Harrods , who died at 94 in August 2023 , allegedly raped as many as five women, with over 20 female former staffers accusing him of sexual assault or rape across multiple continents, BBC reports. The alleged attacks took place in London, Paris, St.
Tropez and Abu Dhabi. The allegations are aired in the outlet’s documentary and podcast, “ Al-Fayed : Predator at Harrods,” in which the famed London luxury department store is accused of having helped to cover up the allegations against Fayed. Lawyer Bruce Drummond, whose legal team represents several of the accusers, told BBC “the spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark.
” Former staffers said Fayed’s alleged predatory behavior was an open secret, and many of his accusers came forward when he was still alive. “We all watched each other walk through that door thinking, ‘you poor girl, it’s you today,’ and feeling utterly powerless to stop it,” said one woman. “He actively cultivated fear.
If he said ‘jump,’ employees would ask, ‘how high?’” said another. One woman added that the “culture of fear” knew no bounds and was present “from the lowliest of the low, to the most senior person” at Harr.