Former Harrods billionaire owner Mohamed Al-Fayed has been accused of raping and sexually assaulting more than 20 female employees while they worked at the luxury department store, according to a new report.
Dozens of women told a story New BBC documentary The Egyptian tycoon, who died last year, carried out the attacks during his 25-year tenure as owner of Harrods, with the upmarket London department store allegedly covering up the abuse.
Al-Fayed, whose son Dodi died alongside Princess Diana in a horrific car crash in 1997, is accused of raping five women and sexually abusing at least 15 others at Harrods offices, his London apartment or properties he owned in Paris, Saint-Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
Some of the alleged victims, many of whom are not named in the report, said they had complained years earlier about the abuse but were warned to keep quiet because of Fayed’s status and wealth.
The current owners of Harrods, who are quietly settling claims by women who say they were abused by Al-Fayed, have apologised to the victims and said they were “totally appalled” by the allegations.
One of the women claimed Fayed raped her when she was a teenager after inviting her to his Park Lane flat in London after work.
“I made it clear to him that I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t give my consent. I just wanted it to end,” she said after the mogul allegedly began grabbing her leg.
“He raped me. Afterwards, you blame yourself. You are there to do a job and there is your boss, standing in front of you in a robe. So even when you try to get out of the situation, I try not to offend him.”
Three other women also reported being raped by him in the London apartment.
A fifth woman, who identified herself on camera only as Gemma, claimed Al-Fayed raped her at his Paris mansion and then forced her to disinfect herself.
“He obviously wanted me to erase any trace of his presence near me,” said the woman, who worked as his personal assistant.
Al-Fayed, who took over Harrods in 1985 before selling it in 2010, has been the target of repeated sexual harassment allegations over the years.
Prosecutors declined to charge Al-Fayed in 2009, when a 15-year-old girl reported that he had sexually assaulted her at Harrods. He was also investigated in 2015, but never charged, over an alleged rape that occurred at his Park Lane flat after a job interview.
Many of the women said they came forward for the BBC documentary after seeing how positively the billionaire was portrayed in the latest season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” which documented his son’s romantic relationship with Princess Diana.
“We are absolutely appalled by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Mohamed Al-Fayed,” a Harrods spokesperson said in light of the documentary.
“These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also recognize that during this time, as a company, we failed our employees who were his victims and for that we sincerely apologize.”
“Today’s Harrods is a very different organisation to the one Al-Fayed owned and controlled between 1985 and 2010 – one that seeks to put the wellbeing of our employees at the heart of everything we do,” the spokesperson continued.
“That’s why, since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, our priority has been to resolve the claims as quickly as possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. This process remains available to any current or former Harrods employee.
“While we cannot undo the past, we are determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we stand for today, while ensuring that such behaviour cannot be repeated in the future.”
