Princess Diana once had an unpleasant exchange with Al Fayed
Princess Diana was once offered an “indecent proposal” by Mohammed Al Fayed before she started dating his son Dodi.
According to Paul Burrell, the late princess’ butler and friend, the ex-Harrods owner made sexual comments towards Diana that left her “shaking”.
The revealations come after a BBC investigation last week revealed five female ex-employees have accused Al Fayed, who died last year, of raping them.
On Saturday, MailOnline revealed that another 23 women had come forward with allegations against him.
Since then, Paul Burrell told the Sun On Sunday that Diana once had an unpleasant exchange with him that left her concerned.
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Burrell said: “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.
“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.”
Princess Diana stayed on his yacht during her last summer
Diana started dating his son, movie producer Dodi, 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, just months before they both died in a tragic Paris car crash.
Al Fayed set up the union as he wanted to have a connection to the Royal Family, according to Paul Burrell.
Mr Burrell also told the Sun on Sunday that he witnessed Al Fayed touching women inappropriately.
Paul Burrell said Diana had some uncomfortable exchanges with Al Fayed
He said:”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.
“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.
“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.”‘
Princess Diana was dating Dodi when they died in a car crash in 1997
Harrods began settling claims with women who came forward alleging to have been sexually abused by Al Fayed 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.
“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’.