2023-09-01 23:33:32
Time.news – Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of Harrods, whose son Dodi was killed together with Diana, Princess of Wales in a car accident in Paris, has died at the age of 94. The BBC made it known.
Born in Egypt, Mohamed Al Fayed built a business empire in the Middle East before moving to the UK in the 1970s. But he never fulfilled his ambition of obtaining a passport for his adopted country.
After his eldest son Dodi was killed in a car accident along with Princess Diana, Al Fayed he spent years questioning the circumstances of their deaths. He had largely stayed out of the public limelight for the past decade, living at his Surrey mansion with his wife Heini.
Mr Al Fayed was also the former owner of Fulham Football Club. The club said tonight it was “incredibly saddened to learn” of his death. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Mohamed for what he has done for our club, and our thoughts now turn to his family and friends at this sad time,” she said in a statement.
Living in Alexandria as a young man, Al Fayed’s breakthrough came after meeting his first wife, Samira Khashoggi, the sister of Saudi billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who employed him in her Saudi Arabian import business.
The role helped him make new contacts in Egypt and, although the marriage lasted just over two years, Al Fayed set up his own shipping business. In 1966, he became an advisor to one of the richest men in the world, the Sultan of Brunei.
Having amassed considerable wealth and experience, he moved to Great Britain in 1974. Five years later, eager to secure a position, particularly among the upper echelons of British society, bought the iconic Ritz hotel in Paris with his brother Ali for £20 million.
They continued taking over Harrods in 1985 for £615 million, following a vicious bidding war with mining conglomerate Lonrho Group. Mr Al Fayed bought Fulham Football Club in the 1990s. The team progressed from the third tier to the Premier League during his ownership.
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