Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed dies aged 94

Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has died at the age of 94, his family have announced.

In a statement released by Fulham FC, his family said: “Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

“He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones. The family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time.”

Sky News reported a funeral was held for Mr Al Fayed after Friday prayers at London Central Mosque in Regent’s Park.

In the years after the death of his son Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian film producer, alongside Princess Diana, in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Mr Al Fayed repeatedly claimed they were murdered in a plot by the British establishment.

The billionaire’s relationship with the royal family was recently depicted in season five of The Crown, where Mr Al Fayed, played by Salim Daw, was seen getting to know the Princess of Wales.

The businessman was born in Alexandria in Egypt and came to London in the 1960s where he set about building his empire.

Mr Al Fayed had taken control of Harrods in 1985 and he had also purchased the Ritz hotel in Paris in 1979. He was also known for being the owner of Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013.

In 2010, he decided to sell Harrods to Qatar’s royal family for a reported £1.5 billion and three years later he sold Fulham FC, to Shahid Khan, owner of American football team Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Sunday Times Rich List from 2021 reported that Mohamed Al-Fayed and family were worth around £1.7 billion. - PA