The billionaire has died at the age of 94 Mohamed Al-Fayedowner of Harrods and Fulham Football Club. The BBC reports it.
Mourning exactly 26 years later that his son was killed along with the princess Diana Spencer in a car accident in Paris. Dodi Al-Fayed died on 31 August 1997 in together with his campaign, the Princess of Wales.
Born in Egypt, Mohamed Al Fayed built a business empire in the Middle East before moving to the UK in the 1970s. But he never fulfilled his ambition of obtaining a passport for his adopted country.
After his eldest son Dodi was killed, Al Fayed spent years wondering about the circumstances of their deaths. For the past ten years he had largely stayed out of the public limelight, living in his Surrey villa with his wife Heini.
Al Fayed was also the former owner of Fulham Football Club. The club said tonight it was “incredibly saddened to learn” of his death. “We owe a debt of gratitude to Mohamed for what he has done for our club, and our thoughts now turn to his family and friends at this sad time,” she said in a statement.
Living in Alexandria as a young man, Al Fayed’s breakthrough came after he met his first wife, Samira Khashoggithe sister of the Saudi billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who employed him in their Saudi Arabian import business. His role helped him make new contacts in Egypt, and although the marriage lasted just over two years, Al Fayed set up his own shipping business.
In 1966, he became an adviser to one of the richest men in the world, the Sultan of Brunei. Having amassed considerable wealth and experience, he moved to Great Britain in 1974.
Five years later, eager to secure a position, particularly among the upper echelons of British society, bought the iconic Ritz hotel in Paris with his brother Ali for £20 million.
They continued taking over Harrods in 1985 for £615m, following a vicious bidding war with mining conglomerate the Lonrho Group. Al Fayed bought the Fulham Football Club in the 90’s. The team progressed from the third tier to the Premier League during his ownership.