Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son died with Princess Diana, accused of multiple rapes

More than 20 women told the BBC that Mohamed Al-Fayed sexually assaulted them before the former Harrods owner died in 2023.

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An investigation by the BBC has exposed over a dozen allegations of rape and sexual assault at the hands of Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of the Harrods department store and father of Dodi Fayed, who died alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, in a 1997 car crash.

Al-Fayed died last year at the age 94. The billionaire businessman faced allegations of sexual assault while he was alive, but the BBC documentary Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods, which airs Thursday, represents the most comprehensive collection of allegations to date.

More than 20 women who used to be employed by Al-Fayed told the BBC that he sexually assaulted them. Many of them say they were raped.

Harrods, which was sold by Al-Fayed to the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar in 2010, says it is “utterly appalled” by the allegations against its former owner and apologized to his alleged victims.

“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise,” the department store wrote in a media statement, adding that the business today is “a very different organisation” than it once was.

Harrods is facing several civil claims from women who say they were abused by Al-Fayed and that Harrods helped cover up his alleged crimes. The department store says it is their “priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved.”

Ex-employees of Al-Fayed told the BBC that it was an open secret he was abusing women, but the former Harrods boss cultivated a culture of fear at the luxury department store that prevented women from speaking out.