Last year, billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed passed away at the age of 94. Recently, the BBC revealed numerous allegations of serious sexual abuse made against him over several decades. Multiple women including his former personal assistants have accused him of rape and attempted rape. Many of them did not report the abuse until years later. During much of this time, Al-Fayed owned Harrods department store, the Ritz Paris hotel, and football club Fulham FC. He maintained close relationships with senior figures in politics and famous public figures, including members of royalty.
This article presents a timeline of some key events spanning almost four decades that involved allegations of Al-Fayed’s predatory behavior towards women. In 1985, he purchased Harrods and became its chairman. The following year, one of his assistants, Alice, began working there and claimed that he sexually abused her from 1987 until 1991. Sophia, another of his assistants, accused him of attempted rape during her tenure from 1988-1991. Rachel, who worked for him in the 1990s, alleged that Al-Fayed raped her in his luxury apartment overlooking Hyde Park in west London.
Over time, additional allegations were made about his behavior. Vanity Fair published an article in 1995 that detailed incidents of sexual harassment and assault against Harrods staff by Al-Fayed. While he sued for libel, documents and statements compiled by Vanity Fair suggest that several women made allegations at the time. A 2008 allegation by Ellie, who was 15 at the time, eventually resulted in significant publicity surrounding the claims of sexual assault, which made headlines for several years.
A Channel 4 Dispatches programme in 2010 was cancelled, which featured several women who were about to make allegations. Recently, additional investigations reopened these claims, and a BBC documentary called Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods aired in 2024. The documentary featured claims from over 20 women alleging sexual assault and rape. Harrods has already reached financial settlements with several people, accepting vicarious liability for Al-Fayed’s actions. The store’s current owners have condemned his actions and apologized for the victims’ treatment
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