01 September 2023 , 23:57
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Mohamed Al-Fayed was haunted by a conspiracy around Princess Diana's death for 26 since years since she died alongside his son Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997.
The former owner of Harrods and owner of Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013 had long been one of the most prominent figures to fuel conspiracy theories about Diana's death.
In the 2008 inquest into Princess Diana's death, Mohamed claimed that Diana was killed because she was pregnant with Dodi's baby at the time of her death, and that the couple had been planning to announce their engagement. He said in court: "I am the only person they told."
Egyptian billionaire and former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed died of old age on Wednesday, said his family in a statement (PA)However a post mortem found that Diana was not pregnant and her friends also claimed that it wasn't possible. During the inquest, Mohamed also branded Prince Philip a "Nazi" and a "racist" and said: "It's time to send him back to Germany where he comes from."
He accused an array of people and organisations of being implicated in the alleged conspiracy to kill Diana and Dodi, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Diana's sister Sarah McCorquodale and her husband Robert Fellowes, French toxicologists, French ambulance drivers, the car's driver Henri Paul, two former London police chiefs, three bodyguards, and even some of Diana's closest friends.
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Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed, walk on a pontoon in the French Riviera resort of St. Tropez in 1997 (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mohamed Al-Fayed and his wife Heini Wathen (Getty Images)He said that Diana's friends, who had told the inquest there was no chance she could be pregnant, were lying, claiming: "All the witnesses who have been saying this are part of the cover-up and have been told what to say." The billionaire's relationship with the Royal Family was recently depicted in season five of The Crown, where Mr Al Fayed, played by Salim Daw, was seen getting to know Diana. Mr Al Fayed had taken control of Harrods in 1985 and he had also purchased the Ritz hotel in Paris in 1979; and was known for being the owner of Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013.
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.
Mohamed and his son Dodi Al Fayed, who died in 1997 alongside DianaIn a statement released today by Fulham FC, his family said: "Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday August 30, 2023.
"He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones. The family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time."