Dodi Fayed

Dodi Fayed
Born Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Fayed
(1955-04-15)15 April 1955
Alexandria, Egypt
Died 31 August 1997(1997-08-31) (aged 42)
Pont de l'Alma tunnel, Paris, France
Cause of death Car crash
Resting place Fayed Estate, Oxted, Surrey
Nationality Egyptian
Alma mater Collège Saint Marc
Institut Le Rosey
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Occupation Film producer
Spouse(s) Suzanne Gregard (m. 1986–87)
Parent(s) Mohamed Al-Fayed
Samira Khashoggi
Relatives Adnan Khashoggi (maternal uncle)
Soheir Khashoggi (maternal aunt)

Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Muna'im Al-Fayed (Arabic: عماد الدين محمد عبد المنعم الفايد‎‎, IPA: [ʕeˈmæːd ɪdˈdiːn mæˈħæmmæd ʕæbdelˈmenʕem elˈfæːjed]), better known as Dodi Fayed (Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈduːdi]; 15 April 1955 – 31 August 1997), was the son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed. He was in a romantic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales, with whom he died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.

Life and career

Fayed was born in Alexandria, Egypt and was the eldest son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods department store. His father was also the former owner of Fulham Football Club and the Hôtel Ritz Paris.[1] His mother was Samira Khashoggi, sister of Saudi Arabian-born billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.[2] Fayed was a student at Collège Saint Marc before attending the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland.[3][4] He also briefly attended Sandhurst.[1] After completing his education, he served as an attaché at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in London.[4]

Fayed was the executive producer of the films Chariots of Fire, Breaking Glass, F/X, F/X2, Hook, and The Scarlet Letter. He also served as the executive creative consultant for the F/X: The Series television series. Fayed also worked for his father on Harrods' marketing.[5]

Personal life

In 1986, Fayed married model Suzanne Gregard, but the couple divorced after eight months of marriage.[5]

In July 1997, Fayed became romantically involved with Diana, Princess of Wales. Earlier that summer, Fayed had become engaged to an American model, Kelly Fisher, and had bought a house in Malibu, California for himself and Fisher with money from his father.[6][7][8] Fisher subsequently claimed Fayed had jilted her for Diana and announced that she was filing a breach of contract suit against him, claiming that he had "led her emotionally all the way up to the altar and abandoned her when they were almost there. He threw her love away in a callous way with no regard for her whatsoever".[9] She dropped the lawsuit shortly afterwards.[10]

Death

Innocent Victims, the second of two memorials in Harrods.

In the early-morning hours of 31 August 1997, Diana and Fayed died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma underpass, in Paris. They had stopped in Paris en route to London, after having spent nine days together on holiday in the French and Italian Rivieras aboard his family's yacht, the Jonikal. Neither Fayed nor Diana were wearing a seat belt.

Investigations by French and British police concluded that their chauffeur, Henri Paul, was driving under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs; paparazzi chasing the couple are also believed to have contributed to the accident.[11][12] Fayed's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, has claimed that the couple were executed by MI6 agents.[13] Fayed's former spokesman, Michael Cole, has claimed that the couple had become engaged before their deaths.[14]

Fayed was originally interred in Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, Surrey, but was disinterred and re-buried on the grounds of the Fayed estate in Oxted, Surrey in October 1997.[15]

Memorials

Memorial to Diana and Dodi in Harrods.

Fayed's father has erected two memorials to his son and Diana at Harrods. The first, unveiled on 12 April 1998, consists of photos of the two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass still smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner, as well as a ring Fayed purchased the day before they died.[16] The second, unveiled in 2005 and titled Innocent Victims, is a 3-metre-high bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach, beneath the wings of an albatross.[17] The memorials were designed by 80-year-old Bill Mitchell, a close friend of Dodi's father's and architect for Harrods for more than 40 years.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Peretti, Jacques (11 January 2009). "Death of a playboy". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Hubbard, Kim (25 August 1997). "Howdy, Dodi!". People. 48 (8). Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Dodi Fayed: Biography". biography.com.
  4. 1 2 "Fayed saw himself as an Onassis". augusta.com. 4 September 1997.
  5. 1 2 Obituary
  6. ↑ Dominick Dunne (19 May 2010). "Two Ladies, Two Yachts, and a Billionaire". Vanity Fair (magazine). New York. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Diana's Darling Dodi letters are read". Associated Press. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2013. (HighBeam Research subscription required)
  8. ↑ Kelly, Tom (7 February 2008). "Dodi's American girlfriend". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Model claims Fayed jilted her for Diana". The Independent. 15 August 1997.
  10. ↑ "Kelly Fisher Drops Lawsuit Against Dodi". Associated Press. 1 September 1997.
  11. ↑ Paul Webster and Stuart Millar "Diana verdict sparks Fayed appeal", The Guardian, 4 September 1999
  12. ↑ Rayner, Gordon (7 April 2008). "Diana jury blames paparazzi and Henri Paul for her 'unlawful killing'". Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  13. ↑ Mohamed al-Fayed: The outsider Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine. The Independent, 6 October 2007
  14. ↑ Diana and Dodi 'were engaged' BBC
  15. ↑ Moyes, Jojo (16 October 1997). "Dodi Fayed's remains re-buried in secret". The Independent. independent.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  16. ↑ "Jeweler: Diana, Dodi picked engagement ring – CNN". Archived from the original on 19 February 2008.
  17. ↑ Harrods unveils Diana, Dodi statue, CNN, 1 September 2005.
  18. ↑ Princes lead Diana remembrance BBC
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