Mohamed Al-Fayed

Lore & Background

Fayed was born in Alexandria, the eldest son of a primary school teacher. He began working as a teenager selling Coca-Cola and sewing machines. In the early 1950s, he entered a furniture import business with Adnan Khashoggi, later marrying Khashoggi's sister Samira. After an affair, Samira divorced him, and Fayed secretly withdrew £100,000 from the trading company, later forgiven in exchange for her freedom to remarry. He then acquired a small shipping company in Egypt and transferred assets to Italy after Nasser's confiscations.

In 1964, Fayed arrived in Haiti on a Kuwaiti passport, presenting himself as a sheikh. He secured a 50-year oil contract and control over port fees, but left after six months when a crude oil sample proved to be molasses. A 1988 DTI report concluded he had perpetrated a substantial deceit on Haiti. He then moved to London and ingratiated himself with Arab expatriates, eventually meeting the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid. Fayed helped secure loans for Dubai's port and earned large commissions, buying a Rolls-Royce, a chalet in Gstaad, and apartments in Mayfair.

Fayed's relationship with Lonrho chairman Tiny Rowland dominated two decades. He exchanged Costain shares for Lonrho shares, became a director, then quit in 1976 after becoming alarmed at Rowland's use of company funds for bribes and a secret Swiss account. In the 1990s, Dubai's government challenged his commission system; Fayed sued the Maktoums for compensation but was caught lying about illness when a secretly taped recording showed him healthy en route to Harrods.

Reader's Guide

Mohamed Al-Fayed's significance lies in his transformation from an Egyptian street vendor to a billionaire owner of iconic British institutions, and in the stark contrast between his public success and the extensive allegations of sexual misconduct that emerged after his death. His ownership of Harrods made him a prominent figure in London, while his litigation against media outlets suppressed early reporting of abuse claims. The 1997 death of his son Dodi with Princess Diana led Fayed to publicly accuse MI6 and Prince Philip of orchestrating the crash, a claim he funded through the unreleased documentary Unlawful Killing. Since his death in 2023, over 200 women have accused him of rape and other illegal acts, reshaping his legacy from that of a flamboyant businessman to a figure at the center of a major posthumous abuse scandal. His career also illustrates the complex web of Middle Eastern finance, British retail, and international litigation that characterized late 20th-century global business.

Did You Know?

• Fayed's year of birth has been disputed; the Department of Trade in 1988 found it was 27 January 1929.
• He entered Haiti in 1964 on a Kuwaiti passport, introducing himself as Sheikh Mohamed Fayed.
• A 1988 DTI report stated Fayed deprived the Haitian harbor authority of over US$100,000.
• After his death, over 200 women made complaints of illegal activity, including rape.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I love Britain. . . Ethics and morals count in Britain like nowhere else in the world." — Mohamed Al-Fayed "[On religion] When we die, our souls still live. If you are a gangster or a bastard or a crook your soul inhabits a donkey or something terrible." — Mohamed Al-Fayed "[On wanting to become Britain's PM] If I have British passport - why not? This is my country now. And I am very popular. I have a warehouse full of letters of support. You can see them." — Mohamed Al-Fayed "Al-Fayed was rejected for British citizenship at least twice." — Mohamed Al-Fayed