Mohamed Al-Fayed ( born 27 January 1929 )
The life cycle 1 2 4 8 7 5
Important years of life
1957 4
1961 8
1969 7
1976 5
1981 1
1982 2
1984 4
1988 8
1996 7
2003 5
2008 1
2009 2
2011 4
2015 8
2023 7
2030 5
Lady Diana Spencer was born in 1961, and married the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981, becoming the Princess of Wales. Diana was an international celebrity and a frequent visitor to Harrods in the 1980s. 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
In 1984, Fayed and his brothers purchased a 30 percent stake in House of Fraser, a group that included the famous London store Harrods, from Roland ‘Tiny’ Rowland, the head of Lonrho. In 1985, he and his brothers bought the remaining 70 percent of House of Fraser for £615m. Rowland claimed the Fayed brothers had lied about their background and wealth and put pressure on the government to investigate them. A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) inquiry into the Fayeds was launched. 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
Diana and Charles divorced in 1996. Diana was hosted by Al-Fayed in the south of France in the summer of 1997, with her two sons, the Princes William and Harry
In 2003, Fayed moved from Surrey, UK to Switzerland
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.
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. Witnesses at the inquest who said the Princess was not pregnant, and could not have been, were part of the conspiracy according to Al-Fayed. Fayed’s testimony at the inquest was roundly condemned in the press as being farcical. Members of the British Government’s Intelligence and Security Committee accused Fayed of turning the inquest into a ‘circus’ and called for it to be ended maturely. Lawyers representing Al-Fayed later accepted at the inquest that there was no direct evidence that either the Duke of Edinburgh or MI6, had been involved in any murder conspiracy involving Diana or Dodi. 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. His admissions also related to the lack of evidence for Al-Fayed’s claims about the alleged pregnancy of the Princess and the couple’s supposed engagement.
The jury verdict, given on 7 April 2008, was that Diana and Dodi had been “unlawfully killed” through the grossly negligent driving of chauffeur Henri Paul, who was intoxicated, and the pursuing vehicles
In 2009, Al-Fayed revealed that he was a supporter of Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, announcing to the Scots that “It’s time for you to waken up and detach yourselves from the English and their terrible politicians…whatever help is needed for Scotland to regain its independence, I will provide it…when you Scots regain your freedom, I am ready to be your president
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).
In 2009 Al-Fayed revealed 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.
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
A statue of the American entertainer Michael Jackson was unveiled by Al-Fayed in April 2011 at Craven Cottage In 1999 Jackson had attended a league game against Wigan Athletic at the stadium. Following criticisms of the statue, Al-Fayed said “If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world they can go to hell. I don’t want them to be fans.
Under Al-Fayed Fulham F.C. was owned by Mafco Holdings, based in the tax haven of Bermuda. Mafco Holdings is owned by Al-Fayed and his family. By 2011, Al-Fayed had loaned Fulham F.C. £187 million in interest free loans. In July 2013, it was announced that Al-Fayed had sold the club to Pakistani American businessman Shahid Khan, who owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars
Al-Fayed financially supported Unlawful Killing (2011), a documentary film accused of presenting his version of events. The film was not formally released as a result of legal problems
Net worth Increase US$2.0 billion (2015)