Princess Diana was left shaking after an alleged exchange with the former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, her former butler claims. The late tycoon has been accused of rape and sexual assault by 19 different women
Mohamed Al Fayed (right) described himself as Princess Diana’s ‘surrogate father’ (
Image: Getty Images)
Mohamed Al Fayed dubbed himself Princess Diana’s “surrogate father”, but one ‘sickening proposal’ left her shaking, according to former butler Paul Burrell.
The late Harrods tycoon has been accused accused of rape and sexual assault by 19 different women, Scotland Yard revealed last week. A new BBC documentary also claims that Al Fayed deployed an army of aides to silence his alleged victims and used his power and wealth to evade justice.
And as the sickening allegations emerge, concerning details regarding Al Fayed’s relationship with Princess Diana have also surfaced. After Diana separated from King Charles in 1992, she began to form a new life for herself away from the Royal Family. She used her new-found freedom and the huge interest surrounding her as a platform for vital charity work, raising awareness of topics her in-laws shied away from.
Mohamed Al Fayed left Princess Diana ‘shaking’ after ‘sickening proposal’ – Paul Burrell claims
In doing this she met the late Al Fayed, an Egyptian businessman often named as one of the richest men in the world at the time. While it’s unknown where they first met, their circles would have crossed regularly as he sponsored many of the charities she was involved with.
And speaking in 2023, Mark Hollingsworth, Al Fayed’s biographer, told The Independent that the tycoon had “long courted” the princess and after her divorce considered himself her “confidante and protector”. He said Al Fayed told him: “She had selfish parents. Her mother and her father were absent, left her with nannies… She was looking for the right man who could compensate for what she missed during her childhood.”
Al Fayed with Diana and the then Prince Charles in 1987 (
Image:
Getty Images)
In a searing swipe at Diana’s broken marriage, Al Fayed is said to have branded the late royal “an incubator”. He told Hollingsworth: “Unfortunately, her husband [Prince Charles] was married to her because she was beautiful, provided an heir and then he left, had fun and continued with his old life. She was there as an incubator.”
In the summer of 1997, the year after Charles and Diana were finally able to officially divorce following their five year separation, Al Fayed invited Diana and her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to join his family on his yacht in the south of France. The 208ft superyacht was the perfect setting for family time, with photos from the time showing the loving mum playing with her sons on the deck.
The boat, which has now changed hands, has nine staterooms and can hold 18 people as well as a crew of 26. Dripping in luxury, it boasted a jacuzzi, office, formal dining room and a swim platform. And it was during this trip that Diana grew close to Al Fayed’s oldest son, 42-year-old film producer Dodi.
Photos of Diana and her sons on the yacht made the front pages, showing her happier than ever (
Image:
mirrorpix)
Pictures of the couple cuddling and kissing on the top deck went around the world, while Diana was photographed sunbathing, jumping into a speedboat and sitting on the stern in a contemplative mood. They were among the last pictures of the princess, who told her friend Rosa Monckton in a phone call from the yacht that her time with Dodi was ‘bliss’.
Speaking in 2017, a friend gave a glimpse into what Diana and Dodi’s relationship was like behind closed doors. They said: “They used to sit on the floor having takeaway meals. She and Dodi were mad on films. He had a wall filled with VHS tapes. Any moment they had together, they went there. They’d watch TV and hang out like teenagers. In a way, the Princess was having her youth again because she had been in the Royal Family for 15 years. People say it was just a summer fling with Dodi but they had been friends for ten years.”
It has now emerged that Diana reportedly called Dodi’s father a “creep” following an incident which happened before her relationship with the film director. The royal’s former butler, Paul Burrell, reportedly said Al Fayed told the Princess: “I want you to marry my son because in Egyptian tradition, the father goes first.” Burrell added that he then boasted: “I’m going to sleep with you”.
Burrell claimed Diana said the Harrods owner was like Star Wars character “Yoda” and “God” due to the high opinion he had of himself. She also said he would often touch her without her consent, he alleged.
He told The Sun: “I was in the car when she came running out from his office shaking and told me, and these are her exact words, that he said, ‘I want you to marry my son because in Egyptian tradition, the father goes first’. He said, ‘I’m going to sleep with you’. She then said in shock, ‘Can you imagine making love to Yoda?’.
Dodi died alongside Diana in the horrifying Paris car crash just a few months after their holiday in France, on August 31, 1997. Al Fayed had claimed they were just hours away from announcing their engagement, something which Diana’s friends say wasn’t true.
Following the tragedy, Al Fayed insisted the crash was not an accident and hired an expensive team of investigations to look into what happened. A report by former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens published in 2006 rejected the claims voiced by some, including Al-Fayed. 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. Al Fayed died at the age of 94 in August last year.
Harrods’ owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and apologised for the fact that his victims had been failed.
