Ex-Harrods mogul Mohamed Al-Fayed accused of raping, attacking over 20 female employees — a year after his death: report
Former Harrods billionaire owner Mohamed Al-Fayed has been accused of raping and sexually assaulting more than 20 female employees when they worked at the luxury department store, according to a new report.
The scores of women told a new BBC documentary the Egyptian mogul, who died last year, carried out the attacks during his 25-year ownership of Harrods — and that the posh London department store allegedly covered up the abuse.
Al-Fayed, whose son Dodi was killed with Princess Diana in a horiffic 1997 car crash, is accused of raping five women and sexually abusing at least 15 others in Harrods’ offices, in his London apartment or properties he owned in Paris, Saint-Tropez and Abu Dhabi.
Some of the alleged victims — many of whom aren’t named in the report — said they complained years earlier about the abuse but were warned to keep quiet because of Fayed’s status and wealth.
Harrods’ current owners, who are quietly settling claims from the women who say they were abused by Al-Fayed, have apologized to the victims and said they were “utterly appalled” by the claims.
One of the women alleged she was raped by Fayed when she was a teenager after he invited her back to his Park Lane apartment in London after work.
“I made it obvious that I didn’t want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over,” she said after the tycoon allegedly started grabbing her leg.
“He raped me. Afterwards, you blame yourself. You’re there to do a job and this is your boss standing there in front of you in a dressing gown. And so even when you’re trying to get out of the situation, I’m trying not to offend him.”
Three other women also alleged they were raped by him in the London apartment.
A fifth woman, who identified herself on camera only as Gemma, alleged Al-Fayed raped her at his mansion in Paris — and then made her disinfect herself afterward.
“Obviously he wanted me to erase any trace of him being anywhere near me,” said the woman, who worked as his personal assistant.
Al-Fayed, who took over Harrods in 1985 before selling it off in 2010, was hit with repeated allegations of sexual harassment over the years.
Prosecutors declined to charge Al-Fayed in 2009 when a 15-year-old girl alleged 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 apartment 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 utterly 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 acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologize.”
“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 spokesperson continued.
“This is why, 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, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved. 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 organization, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behavior can never be repeated in the future.”
