Nearly two dozen former employees of Mohamed Al-Fayed — father of Princess Diana’s partner Dodi Fayed, who died alongside the royal in 1997 — are accusing the late billionaire of having raped or otherwise sexually assaulted them.
The former owner of Harrods, who died at 94 in August 2023, allegedly raped as many as five women, with over 20 female former staffers accusing him of sexual assault or rape across multiple continents, BBC reports.
The alleged attacks took place in London, Paris, St. Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
The allegations are aired in the outlet’s documentary and podcast, “Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods,” in which the famed London luxury department store is accused of having helped to cover up the allegations against Fayed.
Lawyer Bruce Drummond, whose legal team represents several of the accusers, told BBC “the spider’s web of corruption and abuse in this company was unbelievable and very dark.”
Former staffers said Fayed’s alleged predatory behavior was an open secret, and many of his accusers came forward when he was still alive.
“We all watched each other walk through that door thinking, ‘you poor girl, it’s you today,’ and feeling utterly powerless to stop it,” said one woman.
“He actively cultivated fear. If he said ‘jump,’ employees would ask, ‘how high?’” said another.
One woman added that the “culture of fear” knew no bounds and was present “from the lowliest of the low, to the most senior person” at Harrods.
Five of the accusers said they were raped, while several others who alleged assault said Fayed had attempted to rape them.
Working at Harrods allegedly included invasive sexual health tests. Though they were performed by doctors, the results were sent to Fayed but not the women involved.
Eamon Coyle, who served at multiple levels of security at Harrods, said his duties included listening to recorded calls and that Fayed “bugged everybody that he wanted to bug.”
“The Harrods of today is a very different organization to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010, it is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do,” the current owners said in a statement to BBC, condemning Fayed.
Other outlets have tried to previously air allegations against Fayed, with a 1995 Vanity Fair expose accusing him of sexual misconduct and culminating in a libel lawsuit and settlement. Other attempts were made by ITV two years later and Channel 4 in 2017.
Harrods last summer began settling civil suits brought against them by more than a dozen accusers.
