A disgusted Princess Diana once compared Mohammed Al Fayed to Yoda after he made inappropriate comments towards her, it has been claimed.
Paul Burrell, the former royal servant and later Diana’s personal butler, shared stomach-churning details of an alleged indecent proposition by Mohamed Al Fayed that left her “shaking”. Burrell described how Diana was visibly trembling following her unsavoury encounter with Al Fayed, who she deemed a “creep”.
In recent days, dozens of women have come forward to publicly accuse the former Harrods and Fulham FC owner Al Fayed – who died last year aged 94 – of rape and sexual assault. Diana dated his son Dodi Fayed for a few months before the couple died in a Paris car crash in August 1997.
The former royal butler, who worked for Princess Diana from 1987 until her death 10 years later, shared that Diana mockingly nicknamed the ex-Harrods magnate “Yoda”, likening him to the wrinkled green figure from Star Wars.
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Former royal butler Paul Burrell said Diana labelled the former Harrods owner ‘creepy’ and likened his appearance to Yoda (
Image:
Liverpool Echo)
According to Mr Burrell, Al Fayed is claimed to have told Diana: “He said, ‘I’m going to sleep with you’. She then said in shock, ‘Can you imagine making love to Yoda?’. That’s what she called him. I was disgusted by his behaviour.”
She also sarcastically referred to him in conversation as “God” for his inflated sense of self-regard, and labelled him “creepy” and “slimy”, telling Mr Burrell: “He’s always putting his hands on me”, reports the Sun.
Describing the moment he discovered that Mohammed Al Fayed had made advances towards Diana, Mr Burrell said he “was in the car when she came running out from his office shaking” and that she had been “repulsed by the thought of having to surrender to him”. “By making that comment, he was setting the stage for that encounter and he was serious. He thought that was his right and that it would actually happen – that he would actually sleep with the Princess of Wales”, he added.
Before Diana and Dodi’s relationship, Egyptian billionaire Mohammed was known to shower Diana with gifts, and would arrange for Harrods vans to be sent to Kensington Palace crammed full of luxury items. After Diana sent them back, more runners would return with more parcels on foot. He also let her use a private entrance at Harrods.
The Metropolitan Police says 19 women made allegations against Al Fayed to the force between 2005 and 2023 – three allegations of rape, 15 of sexual assault and one related to trafficking. Al Fayed was questioned by detectives in 2008 over the alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old, and in 2009 and 2015 police passed files of evidence about him to the Crown Prosecution Service. He was never charged.
The force said on Thursday that it was reviewing the allegations to see whether there were any new lines of inquiry. Police encouraged victims to report abuse, saying that while Al Fayed was now dead, “we must ensure we fully explore whether any other individuals could be pursued for any criminal offences.”
Michael Ward, the current managing director of Harrods, said the same day that the London department store is “deeply sorry” for failing employees who say they were sexually assaulted by late owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Al Fayed’s family has not commented on the allegations.
