Mohamed Al-Fayed (; محمد الفايد ; born Mohamed Fayed, 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s.
Although he claims to have been born in 1933, records have showed he was actually born in 1929.
Although he claims to have been born in 1933, records have showed he was actually born in 1929.
Fayed's business interests include ownership of Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods department store and Fulham F.C., both in London. Fayed famously had a son, Dodi, from his first marriage to Samira Khashoggi from 1954 to 1956.
Ali and Salah have been his business colleagues. He was married for two years, from 1954 to 1956, to Samira Khashoggi.
Fayed's business interests include ownership of Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods department store and Fulham F.C., both in London. Fayed famously had a son, Dodi, from his first marriage to Samira Khashoggi from 1954 to 1956.
Ali and Salah have been his business colleagues. He was married for two years, from 1954 to 1956, to Samira Khashoggi.
Mohamed Al-Fayed (; محمد الفايد ; born Mohamed Fayed, 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s.
In the mid 1960s, Fayed met the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum who entrusted Fayed with helping transform Dubai, where he set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968.
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 became a financial adviser to the then Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III, in 1966. He briefly joined the board of the mining conglomerate Lonrho in 1975 but left after a disagreement.
In the mid 1960s, Fayed met the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum who entrusted Fayed with helping transform Dubai, where he set up IMS (International Marine Services) in 1968.
Fayed worked with his wife's brother, Saudi Arabian arms dealer and businessman Adnan Khashoggi. Some time in the early 1970s, he began using "Al-Fayed" rather than "Fayed".
Fayed was appointed honorary chairman of Harrods, a position he was scheduled to hold for at least six months. ===Scotland real estate=== In 1972, Fayed purchased the Balnagown estate in Easter Ross, Northern Scotland.
He also became a financial adviser to the then Sultan of Brunei Omar Ali Saifuddien III, in 1966. He briefly joined the board of the mining conglomerate Lonrho in 1975 but left after a disagreement.
In 1979, Fayed bought The Ritz hotel in Paris, France for US$30 million. In 1984, Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30% stake in House of Fraser, a group that included the famous London store Harrods, from Roland 'Tiny' Rowland, the head of Lonrho.
His brothers Ali and Salah began to follow 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".
Diana was an international celebrity and a frequent visitor to Harrods in the 1980s.
In 1979, Fayed bought The Ritz hotel in Paris, France for US$30 million. In 1984, Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30% stake in House of Fraser, a group that included the famous London store Harrods, from Roland 'Tiny' Rowland, the head of Lonrho.
Fayed married Finnish socialite and former model Heini Wathén in 1985, with whom he also has four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla, and Omar.
In 1985, he and his brothers bought the remaining 70% of House of Fraser for £615m.
Al-Fayed and Dodi first met Diana and Charles when they were introduced at a polo tournament in July 1986, that had been sponsored by Harrods. Diana and Charles divorced in 1996.
During this period, from 1988 to February 1998, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist, although Cole's PR work for Al-Fayed did not cease in 1998. Hamilton lost a subsequent libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999 and a subsequent appeal against the verdict in December 2000.
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. In 1994, House of Fraser went public, but Fayed retained the private ownership of Harrods.
Al-Fayed applied for British citizenship twice – once in 1994 and once in 1999 - both unsuccessfully.
It was suggested that the feud with Rowland contributed to Fayed being refused British citizenship the first time. ===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.
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". In 1994, Hermínia da Silva quit her job as a nanny at Al-Fayed's home in Oxted.
He re-launched the humorous magazine Punch in 1996 but it folded again in 2002.
Al-Fayed and Dodi first met Diana and Charles when they were introduced at a polo tournament in July 1986, that had been sponsored by Harrods. Diana and Charles divorced in 1996.
Dodi was in a romantic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, when they both died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Hamilton's libel action related to a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary broadcast on 16 January 1997 in which Al-Fayed made claims that the MP had received up to £110,000 in cash and received other gratuities for asking parliamentary questions.
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. In 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed's daughter Camilla, who has worked as an ambassador for the charity for eight years, opened the newly refurbished Zoe’s Place baby hospice in West Derby, Liverpool. ===Fulham F.C.=== Al-Fayed bought west London professional football club Fulham F.C.for £6.25 million in 1997.
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.
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. In 1998, Rowland accused Fayed of stealing papers and jewels from his Harrods safe deposit box.
Rowland died in 1998.
During this period, from 1988 to February 1998, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist, although Cole's PR work for Al-Fayed did not cease in 1998. Hamilton lost a subsequent libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999 and a subsequent appeal against the verdict in December 2000.
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. In 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed's daughter Camilla, who has worked as an ambassador for the charity for eight years, opened the newly refurbished Zoe’s Place baby hospice in West Derby, Liverpool. ===Fulham F.C.=== Al-Fayed bought west London professional football club Fulham F.C.for £6.25 million in 1997.
Fayed arrived in Paris a day later and viewed Dodi's body, which was finally returned to the United Kingdom for an Islamic funeral. ===Conspiracy theories=== From February 1998, Al-Fayed maintained that the crash was a result of a conspiracy, and later contended that the crash was orchestrated by MI6 on the instructions of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Al-Fayed applied for British citizenship twice – once in 1994 and once in 1999 - both unsuccessfully.
During this period, from 1988 to February 1998, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist, although Cole's PR work for Al-Fayed did not cease in 1998. Hamilton lost a subsequent libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999 and a subsequent appeal against the verdict in December 2000.
In 1999 Jackson had attended a league game against Wigan Athletic at the stadium.
During this period, from 1988 to February 1998, Al-Fayed's spokesman was Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist, although Cole's PR work for Al-Fayed did not cease in 1998. Hamilton lost a subsequent libel action against Al-Fayed in December 1999 and a subsequent appeal against the verdict in December 2000.
In 2001, Fulham took the First Division (now Football League Championship) under manager Jean Tigana, winning 100 points and scoring over 100 goals in the season.
Their motive, he claimed, was that they could not tolerate the idea of the Princess marrying a Muslim. Al-Fayed first claimed that the Princess was pregnant to the Daily Express in May 2001, and that he was the only person who had been told of this news.
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. In 1994, House of Fraser went public, but Fayed retained the private ownership of Harrods.
He re-launched the humorous magazine Punch in 1996 but it folded again in 2002.
The Highlands of Scotland tourist board awarded Al-Fayed the Freedom of the Highlands in 2002, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and commitment to the Highlands." 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.
By 2002, Fulham were competing in European football, winning the Intertoto Cup and challenging in the UEFA Cup.
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. In 2003, Fayed moved from Surrey, UK to Switzerland, alleging a breach in an agreement with the British tax authority..
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. Fulham lost a legal case against former manager 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.
It was a continuation of the original inquest that had begun in 2004. 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.
In 2005, he moved back to Britain, saying that he "regards Britain as home".
A libel action was brought against Al-Fayed by Neil Hamilton (see above). The British Operation Paget, a Metropolitan police inquiry that concluded in 2006, also found no evidence of a conspiracy.
To Operation Paget, Al-Fayed made 175 "conspiracy claims". 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.
The Highlands of Scotland tourist board awarded Al-Fayed the Freedom of the Highlands in 2002, in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and commitment to the Highlands." 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.
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.
Al-Fayed eventually settled with her out of court, and she was awarded £12,000. 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.
Fulham reached the final of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League and continued to play in the Premier League throughout Al-Fayed's tenure as owner, which ended in 2013. Fulham temporarily left Craven Cottage while it was being upgraded to meet modern safety standards.
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." A statue of the American entertainer Michael Jackson was unveiled by Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Craven Cottage.
He moored a yacht called the Sokar in Monaco prior to selling it in 2014. ===Sale of Harrods=== After denials that Harrods was for sale, it was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the country of Qatar, on 10 May 2010.
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. In 2011, Mohamed Al-Fayed's daughter Camilla, who has worked as an ambassador for the charity for eight years, opened the newly refurbished Zoe’s Place baby hospice in West Derby, Liverpool. ===Fulham F.C.=== Al-Fayed bought west London professional football club Fulham F.C.for £6.25 million in 1997.
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." A statue of the American entertainer Michael Jackson was unveiled by Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Craven Cottage.
By 2011, Al-Fayed had lent Fulham F.C.
In 2013, Fayed's wealth was estimated at US$1.4 billion, ranking his wealth at no.
Fulham reached the final of the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League and continued to play in the Premier League throughout Al-Fayed's tenure as owner, which ended in 2013. Fulham temporarily left Craven Cottage while it was being upgraded to meet modern safety standards.
I don't want them to be fans." 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.
He moored a yacht called the Sokar in Monaco prior to selling it in 2014. ===Sale of Harrods=== After denials that Harrods was for sale, it was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the country of Qatar, on 10 May 2010.
In March 2019, the statue was removed from the museum due to the backlash against Jackson caused by the accusations against him in the documentary Leaving Neverland. Under Al-Fayed Fulham F.C.
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