Mohamed Al-Fayed's bond with Di as Dodi's dad dies on eve of death anniversary

01 September 2023 , 21:49

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Mohamed Al Fayed and Princess Diana shared a strong bond

Mohamed Al Fayed was buried the day after the anniversary of the deaths of his eldest son Dodi Fayed and friend Diana, Princess of Wales.

Former Harrods owner and Fulham FC chairman Mr Al-Fayed, who passed away aged 94, was buried after Friday prayers following a service at Regent’s Park Mosque in London. Ashraf Haider, a member of his family, wrote in a tribute: "My wife’s grandfather, the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, has died. We belong to God and to Him we shall return."

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.

And in doing this she met Mr Al Fayed, a hugely successful 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.

Diana arrives at Harrods to attend a book launch and is greeted by Mr Al Fayed

Mr Al Fayed at Diana's funeral (Santiago Lyon/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Their unlikely friendship features heavily in season five of The Crown, showing Mr Al Fayed, played by Salim Daw, growing closer to the royals. In the summer of 1997, the year after Charles and Diana were finally able to officially divorce following their five year separation, Mr Al Fayed invited Diana and her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to join his family on his yacht in the south of France.

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The 208ft superyacht was the perfect setting for family time, with photos from the time showing the loving mum playing with her sons on the deck. The boat, which has now changed hands, has nine staterooms and can hold 18 people as well as a crew of 26. Dripping in luxury, it boasted a jacuzzi, office, formal dining room and a swim platform.

Diana on Mr Al Fayed's yacht in July 1997 (mirrorpix)

And it was during this trip that Diana grew close to Al Fayed's oldest son, 42-year-old film producer Dodi. Pictures of the couple cuddling and kissing on the top deck went around the world, while Diana was photographed sunbathing, jumping into a speedboat and sitting on the stern in a contemplative mood. They were among the last pictures of the Princess, who told her friend Rosa Monckton in a phone call from the yacht that her time with Dodi was "bliss”. Speaking in 2017, a friend gave a glimpse into what Diana and Dodi's relationship was like behind closed doors.

They said: "They used to sit on the floor having takeaway meals. She and Dodi were mad on films. He had a wall filled with VHS tapes. Any moment they had together, they went there. They’d watch TV and hang out like teenagers. In a way, the Princess was having her youth again because she had been in the Royal Family for 15 years. People say it was just a summer fling with Dodi but they had been friends for 10 years."

Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed in the lift at the Ritz Hotel prior to their deaths (PA)

Dodi died alongside Diana in the horrifying Paris car crash just a few months after the holiday, on August 31, 1997. Mr Al Fayed claimed they were just hours away from announcing their engagement, something which Diana's friends say wasn't true. Following the tragedy, Mr Al Fayed insisted the crash was not an accident and hired an expensive team of investigations to look into what happened.

A report by former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens published in 2006 rejected the murder claims voiced by some, including Mr Al-Fayed's. The inquests into the deaths finished in 2008, with a jury returning a verdict that the 'People's Princess' and her boyfriend were unlawfully killed. In 2013, Scotland Yard concluded that there was "no credible evidence" of any SAS involvement in the death, following claims that the couple were murdered by a member of British special forces.

Ryan Merrifield