Mohamed Al Fayed "long courted" Princess Diana and regarded himself as her "surrogate father", according to his biographer. Al Fayed died last year at the age of 94 but now more than 20 female former employees have spoken to the BBC as part of a special investigation, coming forward with allegations of assault and physical violence at properties in London and Paris. Five of the women alleged they had been raped by him.
The new BBC documentary claims Al Fayed deployed an army of aides to silence his alleged victims and used his power and wealth to evade justice. At the time of his death last year, many remembered him for his royal connection . After Diana separated from King Charles in 1992, she began to form a new life for herself away from the Royal Family.
She used her new-found freedom and the huge interest surrounding her as a platform for vital charity work, raising awareness of topics her in-laws shied away from. In doing this she met the late Al Fayed, an Egyptian businessman often named as one of the richest men in the world at the time. While it's unknown where they first met, their circles would have crossed regularly as he sponsored many of the charities she was involved with.
And speaking in 2023, Mark Hollingsworth, Al Fayed's biographer, told The Independent that the tycoon had "long courted" the princess and after her divorce considered himself her "confidante and protector". He said Al Fayed told him: "She had selfish parents. Her mother and her father were ab.