Mohamed Al-Fayed(1929-2023)

He grew up in impoverished circumstances. At an early age he began working as a street vendor and salesman in his hometown. The acquaintance with the businessman Adnan Khashoggi enabled Fayed to get his first permanent position in his import company in Saudi Arabia. In 1954 he married Samira Kashoggi, but divorced her just four years later. In 1966, Al Fayed was hired as an advisor by one of the richest men in the world, the Sultan of Brunei. The successful activity gave him wealth and fortune. In the first half of the 1970s, Fayed moved to Great Britain. There he joined the management of the mining group "Lonrho" for a few months in 1975. Disagreements with management led to his departure and a protracted dispute with Lonrho boss Tiny Rowland. In 1979, Fayed and his brother Ali bought the Ritz Hotel in Paris.

In 1985, the British company "Harrods", one of the most renowned London department stores, followed, with Fayed coming into competition with Lonrho, which was also a prospective buyer. Rowland launched a campaign against the competitor and launched an investigation that led to unfavorable results for Fayed in 1990. In 1993, a public meeting between the two rivals seemed to signal the end of the dispute. Shortly afterwards, however, new conflicts broke out, so that Fayed only settled the long-standing dispute with Rowland's widow after Rowland's death. Al Fayed's several attempts to obtain British citizenship have so far been unsuccessful. His financial commitment to social and charitable projects was unable to persuade the authorities to relent. The fact that the businessman is married to a British woman for the second time and has four children with British citizenship also had no effect on this issue.

At the same time, public speculation about Al Fayed's attempts at bribery and corruption against British politicians continued. The affairs have already cost several ministers their office. Mohamed Al Fayed also bought the satirical magazine Punch to relaunch it. He also acquired the football club "Fulham FC" in 1997. The connection between his eldest son, Dodi Al Fayed, from his first marriage, and Diana Frances Spencer, which became known in 1997, once again strengthened the father's hope of obtaining British citizenship. But in the same year, the couple's tragic accidental death, which was apparently due to a driving error by Fayed's drunk driver, also destroyed this hope. Al Fayed subsequently sought the cause of the accident in a plot by the Duke of Edinburgh against Lady Diana and Dodi Fayed. Corresponding public statements brought him a defamation lawsuit from the person concerned.

Even though Al Fayed was denied recognition as a British citizen, he did receive several awards: The successful businessman is an honorary member of Emmanuel College in Cambridge and has been an officer of the Légion d'honneur since 1993. In 1985 he was awarded the Grand Medal of the City of Paris and in 1990 he received the Order of Merit of the Italian State. In 2003, Al-Fayed moved his residence from Surrey to Switzerland. In 2004, the traditional Harrods department store in London celebrated its 155th anniversary. In 2005 Al Fayed moved to Monaco.

Mohammed Al Fayed has been married to Heini Wathen for the second time since 1985, with whom he has four children.