Mohamed Al Fayed 'made an indecent proposal to Diana'

by · Mail Online

Mohamed Al Fayed made an 'indecent proposal' to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, her ex-butler Paul Burrell has revealed.

The disgraced ex-Harrods owner is said to have told Diana he wanted to sleep with her, leaving her 'shaking' in disgust, it was reported today.

Diana, who died in a Paris car crash with Al Fayed's son Dodi in August 1997, dubbed the older man a 'creep' and also 'Yoda', after the Star Wars character, Mr Burrell said.

The ex-butler. who worked for Diana between 1987 and 1997, told of being 'disgusted' by Al Fayed's behaviour - and said that, if still alive, she would support the women now accusing the late tycoon of sexual assault.

A BBC investigation last week revealed five female ex-employees have accused Al Fayed of raping them - and MailOnline revealed yesterday another 23 women have come forward with allegations about him.

Mohamed Al Fayed, pictured with Princess Diana at a charity dinner at Harrods in February 1996, has been accused of making an 'indecent proposal' towards her
The late tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed (right) is seen here with the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana at a Harrods-sponsored polo event in Windsor, Berkshire, in July 1987
Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell has been speaking about how she was left 'shaking' after Al Fayed's comments towards her

The Egyptian-born businessman - who died in London aged 94 in August last year - is alleged to have carried out the attacks during his time in charge of the outlet between 1984 and its sale in 2010.

The corporation says more than 20 female former workers at Harrods have come forward to accuse him of sexual abuse and presiding over a 'culture of fear' at the department store.

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Some of those involved claim 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.

Harrowing details of the accusations, including vivid descriptions of the alleged rapes by the women, were shown on a new programme called Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.

The store's current owners have now told of being 'utterly appalled' by the accusations and have apologised to the women affected.

The alleged attacks are said to have happened not only in London including at his Mayfair flat in the capital but also in Paris, at the Ritz hotel which he owned, and St Tropez in France as well as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Now Mr Burrell has shared details about what he says Diana told him of her encounters with Al Fayed, who she first met at a Harrods-sponsored polo match in 1986 when she was married to then-Prince Charles.

The ex-royal butler told the Sun On Sunday: 'I was in the car when she came running out from his office shaking and told me, and these are her exact words, that he said, "I want you to marry my son because in Egyptian tradition, the father goes first".

"He said, 'I'm going to sleep with you'. She then said in shock, 'Can you imagine making love to Yoda?' That's what she called him. I was disgusted by his behaviour.

Mohamed Al Fayed, who died in August last year, has been accused in a new BBC investigation of raping and sexually assaulting female employees
Former royal butler Paul Burrell says the late Princess Diana (pictured) called Mohamed Al Fayed 'creepy' and 'slimy'
Diana also likened Al Fayed to Star Wars character Yoda (pictured), according to Mr Burrell

'Diana was repulsed by the thought of having to surrender to him. By making that comment, he was setting the stage for that encounter and he was serious.

'He thought that was his right and that it would actually happen - that he would actually sleep with the Princess of Wales. And that was always in her mind all through her romance with Dodi.'

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Mr Burrell described how Al Fayed lavished Diana with gifts including gadgets and computer games arriving at Kensington Palace only for her to send them back.

He also allowed her to use a secret entrance to his Harrods store in Knightsbridge, west London. 

Diana and movie producer Dodi started dating after Al Fayed invited her and her sons William and Harry to his 30-bedroom mansion in 1997.

The couple were photographed kissing that summer on board the luxury yacht owned by Dodi's father, the Jonikal.

Mr Burrell last night said: 'We all concentrated on Dodi and the Princess. But, really, the puppet-master was Fayed.

'What he wanted above everything else was to be related to the Royal Family. Fayed bought the boat before that holiday for Dodi to be able to entertain her in private.

'He spent millions trying to court her and his son was just a pawn in his game.'

Princess Diana and Mohamed Al Fayed's son Dodi are pictured in the French Riviera resort of St Tropez on August 22 1997, nine days before both died in a Paris car crash
Mohamed Al Fayed (right) with son Dodi at a party for the film Hook in 1992
Mohamed Al Fayed with the Queen in 1997. His business connections and charity work saw him mixing with high society despite his complaints about what he saw as establishment bias

Mr Burrell also said he witnessed Al Fayed touching women inappropriately, adding: 'His hands would wander. He would literally put his hands on ladies without asking.

'With Diana, he couldn’t go too far. She always had the upper hand because he could not afford to lose her. Unfortunately, most of the ladies that worked for him didn’t.

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'She would say how Fayed was always putting his hands on her. People don’t touch members of the Royal Family but I saw him stroke her arm and linger too long, kiss her hand almost like a pet, and put his arm around her waist.'

Mr Burrell added: 'I don’t think she would be surprised by these allegations because she knew he was creepy towards women.

'If Princess Diana was here, she’d have stood with them, united, and said: "Well, it could have happened to me. It didn't. Thank God. But I’ll be with you all the way."'

In the new BBC documentary some women claim they were coerced into undergoing invasive medical exams, in which they were tested for sexually transmitted diseases with the results sent to Al Fayed himself.

The corporation said it heard testimony from 13 women who say they were sexually assaulted at Al 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.

Harrods said in a statement to the BBC: 'The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010.

A BBC documentary says the Egyptian-born businessman - who died in London aged 94 in August last year - carried out attacks while Harrods boss between 1984 and its sale in 2010
The corporation says more than 20 female former workers at Harrods have come forward to accuse Al Fayed (pictured) of sexual abuse
Current owners of the Harrods department store (pictured) in Knightsbridge, west London, have been settling claims made by women alleging they were assaulted by Al Fayed

'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.'

The Ritz hotel in Paris, formerly owned by Fayed, told the BBC it 'strongly condemns all forms of behaviour that do not align with the values of the establishment'.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on Mr Burrell's claims.