Mohamed Al Fayed’s rape accusers ‘offended’ at his portrayal in The Crown

Five women alleging they were raped by late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed have tearfully spoken of their ‘anger’ at how the Egyptian-born billionaire has been portrayed in Netflix hit series The Crown.

They claim the fictionalised version of Al Fayed as ‘funny and gregarious’ has effectively ‘eulogised’ a man they say seriously sexually abused them during his time in charge of the luxury London department store. 

The women’s revelations have come to light following a new BBC documentary exploring claims Al Fayed – who died aged 94 in August 2023 – was a serial rapist.

He is said to have carried out the attacks between 1984 and 2010, when the famed London department store was sold. 

More than 20 female former workers at Harrods have come forward to accuse Al Fayed of sexual abuse and presiding over a ‘culture of fear’ at the department store, the BBC said.

Harrowing details of the accusations, including vivid descriptions of the alleged rapes by the women, were shown on Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods – along with claims the firm itself not only failed to intervene to help the alleged victims but also covered up their claims.

During the documentary one of his accusers is seen watching a clip from the hugely popular Netflix series The Crown, which dramatises key moments from the royal family over the last 50 years.

In the episode, titled ‘Mou Mou’, a reference to the nickname the Egyptian businessman insisted people call him, Princess Diana (Elizabeth Deblicki) is seen smiling with Mohamed Al Fayed (Salim Daw) as they meet for the first time at a polo match. 

Al Fayed’s character comes across as jovial, earnest and personable, but the clip evoked a strong reaction from his accusers.

Gemma, who worked as his personal assistant between 2007 and 2009, told the documentary: ‘To be honest it’s made me hot and bothered, I think he comes across pleasant and we all know he’s not.’

Another of his accusers, Sophia, who worked as his personal assistant from 1988 to 1991, he said: ‘It makes him look so funny and gregarious, and he could turn that on, but he wasn’t. He was vile. 

Claiming Al Fayed tried to rape her more than once, she said: ‘That makes me angry, people shouldn’t remember him like that, it’s not how he was.’

Elsewhere in the documentary, his accusers said they were coerced into undergoing invasive medical exams in which they were tested for sexually transmitted diseases, with the results being sent directly to Al Fayed himself. 

The BBC said it heard testimony from 13 women who say they were sexually assaulted at Fayed’s 60 Park Lane property in London, four of whom allege they were raped there.

Harrods began settling claims with women who came forward alleging to have been sexually abused at his hands in July last year.

The store’s current owners have released a statement saying they were ‘utterly appalled’ by the accusations and have apologised to the women affected. 

Following Al Fayed’s death last September, the actor who played him paid an emotional tribute to the late businessman, who coincidentally passed away on his birthday.

Salim Daw, 73, from Israel, took to Instagram to mark the passing of Mohamed Al-Fayed, to describe him as ‘a giant, who came from nothing to everything’.

While the pair had never met, Daw described him as ‘such a rare and a distinctive character’.

His post read : ‘I was deeply saddened to hear about Mohamed Al Fayed’s passing. 

‘A giant, who came from nothing and became everything. 

‘For two years I portrayed him on “The Crown”. Such a rare and a distinctive character.

‘I can only hope my portrayal of him did him justice. I feel that I knew him, even though we have never met. 

‘It is no coincidence that he passed on my birthday. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.’ 

Fayed was born in Alexandria in 1929 and moved to the UK in the 1960s, becoming an early driving force in the development of Dubai.

He later bought House of Fraser, including Harrods, with his brothers, as well as the Ritz hotel in Paris, which he owned up until his death.

He had begun his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman.

He built his family’s fortune in real estate, shipping and construction, first in the Middle East and then in Europe – aided by connections with his first wife Samira Khashoggi’s arms dealer brother Adnan Khashoggi.

A combination of building a business empire in the UK and establishing a charitable foundation saw him mixing with the UK’s most illustrious figures – from stars to royalty.

Fayed is believed to have met Diana, Princess of Wales, and the then-Prince Charles at a polo match in the 1980s – and through this connection introduced her to his son Dodi.

In later years he became consumed with pursuing investigations into the crash which killed Dodi and Diana on August 31 1997 – almost exactly 26 years before his own death.

Diana – who was divorced from Charles in 1992 – and Dodi were pictured together in St Tropez in 1997, sparking rumours of romance.

The pair then travelled together as they sought to leave the Ritz Hotel in Paris on the fateful morning of August 31 that year. 

The younger Al-Fayed and the Princess of Wales were being driven away from paparazzi by Henri Paul, the deputy head of security at the hotel, when Paul lost control of the car and struck a pillar at a speed of about 65mph. 

Al Fayed opened his own private investigation into the crash after being dissatisfied with the official investigations – and promoted a series of conspiracy theories alleging that the establishment had a hand in their deaths. 

But a 2008 inquest concluded that Dodi and Diana were unlawfully killed by a combination of Paul’s driving under the influence of alcohol, the fact neither were wearing seatbelts and the erratic driving of paparazzi pursuing them. 

In a full statement pertaining to the allegations, Harrods told the BBC: ‘The Harrods of today is a very different organisation 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.

‘Since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible.

‘This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

‘While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.’

MailOnline has contacted Netflix and representatives of Salim Daw for comment.

 

.