The Metropolitan Police in London has reported that 40 additional women have come forward with allegations of rape or sexual assault against the late Harrods owner, Mohamed Al Fayed. These allegations span from 1979 to 2013 and are in addition to the 21 women who had previously made accusations between 2005 and 2023. Al Fayed was never prosecuted for any of the allegations and passed away last year at the age of 94. Police are urging any victims of Al Fayed or individuals with information about his offenses to come forward, stating that they will review the information to determine if there are any potential criminal charges that can be pursued.
Questions have arisen regarding why action was not taken against Al Fayed while he was alive, especially as he had been questioned by detectives in 2008 regarding alleged sexual abuse of a 15-year-old. In 2009 and 2015, police had also passed files of evidence about him to the Crown Prosecution Service, yet he was never charged. The current managing director of Harrods, Michael Ward, issued an apology on behalf of the store, acknowledging that Al Fayed had presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion, and sexual misconduct.
Born in Egypt, Mohamed Al Fayed moved to the UK in the 1960s and acquired Harrods in the mid-1980s, turning it into an iconic retail destination in London’s Knightsbridge area. He sold the store in 2010 to a company owned by the state of Qatar. Al Fayed was also known for his ownership of the London soccer team Fulham and gained further notoriety after his son Dodi was killed in a car crash alongside Princess Diana in 1997. Al Fayed promoted conspiracy theories suggesting that the royal family had orchestrated the accident due to their disapproval of Diana dating an Egyptian.
Despite Al Fayed’s persistence in promoting conspiracy theories about Princess Diana’s death, multiple inquiries in both the UK and France concluded that there was no evidence of foul play. An inquest determined that Diana and Dodi perished as a result of the reckless actions of their driver and the paparazzi who were chasing them. Al Fayed’s family, including his son Dodi’s siblings, have not issued any statements regarding the recent wave of allegations against him. It remains to be seen how authorities will handle the new information provided by the 40 additional women who have come forward with claims of rape or sexual assault.
