- Dodi Al Fayed started his romantic relationship with Princess Diana of Wales after his marriage with Suzanne Gregard crashed just eight months after they married
- Often referred to as a movie producer, Dodi Al Fayed was persuaded to pursue a career in show business by his father, Mohammed Al Fayed
- On August 31, 1997, Dodi Al Fayed and his girlfriend, Princess Diana, were involved in a car crash that took their lives
Dodi Al Fayed was the boyfriend of Princess Diana of Wales before his sudden demise on August 31, 1997, in a car crash alongside the Princess. His romantic affair with Princess Diana started after his marriage to Suzanne Gregard ended.
Dodi Fayed, as he was often called was an Egyptian film producer and also the son of the Egyptian billionaire, Mohamed Al Fayed. After Dodi Fayed and his girlfriend died, his father claimed that the accident was planned by MI6 agents.
Princess Diana’s Boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed Was from a Famous Family
Born on 17 April 1956, Dodi Al Fayed was named Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena’em Fayed at birth. He was born and raised in the Egyptian port of Alexandria, Egypt by his parents, Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed and his first wife, Samira Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian progressive author. Raised as a Muslim, Dodi had everything he wanted including yachts and jets.
His parents were married for only two years from 1954 to 1956. They separated shortly after his birth but they raised him together. During school holidays, Dodi divided between the Khashoggi homes on the French Rivera, Paris, and Cairo and his father’s palatial home in Alexandria. By the time he was 15, he was given his own flat in Mayfair and a Rolls Royce.
Through his mother, Dodi was related to infamous arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His maternal grandfather was a private physician to the Saudi Royal family.
According to reports, Princess Diana’s boyfriend was sent to a boarding school for his studies at a tender age. He attended the exclusive Le Rosay school in Switzerland and later the British Military Academy Sandhurst. Later on, he got a commission in the United Arab Emirates air force and was stationed in London.
Although he was the only child between his parents, his mother had another child, Jumana Yassin with her second Anas Yassin. His father also had four children through his second marriage with Heini Wathén.
Dodi Al-Fayed was Known for His Luxurious Lifestyle
Although it has been reported that Dodi Al Fayed was a filmmaker, there are other sources that have claimed it was just his father’s way of taming him. According to reports, Dodi was more interested in drugs and girls than his career. His father allegedly set him up with a film production company called Allied Stars, which was responsible for producing the 1981 movie Chariot of Fire.
Despite his father’s efforts, Dodi Al-Fayed was described as a very lazy person by the movie producer, Lord Puttnam. The movie producer later threw him off the set after he suspected that he had given some of the cast and crew cocaine. Nevertheless, he gained co-producer credit for the film.
Contrary to Puttnam’s comment, Richard Donner, a director once disclosed he was going to do a film with Dodi. He even claimed that people were only jealous of Dodi’s wealth.
While his filmmaking career crumbled, Princess Diana’s boyfriend became more famous as a playboy who loved racing fast cars and living the high life. He reportedly owned five Ferraris. Although he had no means of income, he continued to lavish gifts on the women he dated. It was later revealed that his father had him on a £400,000 monthly allowance.
There are rumors that some of the women he dated include Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, and Daryl Hannah.
His First Marriage Lasted for Only Eight Months
Long before he met Princess Diana, Al-Fayed dated a model called Suzanne Gregard. They got married in 1986 but the union only lasted for eight months. After the divorce, Suzanne won a divorce settlement of over 2 million pounds.
Following his divorce, the millionaire playboy got involved with an American model, Kelly Fisher. They even got engaged and bought a house but that did not last either. They soon went their separate ways although Fisher did not take it likely. The Californian model claimed Dodi had jilted her for Princess Diana. She then filed a lawsuit claiming he dumped her two days before their wedding via telephone.
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Dodi Al-Fayed and Princess Diana Love Story
Known for his love for fame, Dodi Al-Fayed allegedly dated women of high social class and status. He first met Princess Diana when the Fayed team played Prince Charles’ team at an event in Windsor in 1986. However, it was when his father invited Diana and her children to be his holiday guests in St. Tropez 11 years later that he got to know her well.
At that time, Princess Diana had already finalized her divorce from her ex-husband, Prince Charles. With the Prince, Diana she shared two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. There are reports that claim she dated a Pakistani heart surgeon, Hasnat Khan after her divorce.
Princess Diana started accepting gifts from the filmmaker shortly after her alleged relationship with the surgeon ended. Dodi Al-Fayed who was often described as a charmer began to spend more time with the mother of two on his mega-yacht, Jonikal.
Their fairytale affair continued to flourish until when Dodi decided to take his girlfriend to his the Ritz Paris, which was owned by his father. The lovers allegedly spent nine days together on holiday in the Fayeds’ family Yacht. They sailed the Mediterranean Sea onboard the 200ft yacht.
Despite how close they seemed, there are reports that claim their love was fake. There are claims that the Princess’s show of affection was only on camera. Also, a member of the yacht crew claimed the lovebirds did not share the same bedroom while they were on vacation.
The Movie Producer and His Girlfriend Died in a Car Crash
On 31 August 1997, Dodi Al-Fayed and Princess Diana were killed in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma underpass in Paris. The French and British police claimed the lovers’ chauffeur, Henri Paul, was driving under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. It is believed that the accident was caused by the paparazzi that were chasing the couple.
Following their death, Al-Fayed’s father made claims that they were executed by MI6 agents but it was never confirmed. Dodi was originally buried in Brookwood Cemetery near Woking but a couple of months later, his body was exhumed and re-interred on the Fayed Estate in Oxted.
While Dodi’s burial was done low-key, his girlfriend’s burial ceremony was attended by over 2,000 people in Westminster Abbey. The television audience was over 32.10 million which is said to be the highest viewing figure ever and is said to be one of the biggest televised events in history.
Rumors about Dodi’s Secret Love Child
There are reports that suggest Dodi had a secret child who was nine months old at the time he died. The child’s mother was a woman named Diane Holliday, a British hotel consultant.
Diane Holliday claimed she initially gave the baby up for adoption in the US because she could not afford to pay hospital fees. Ms. Holliday also claimed she was in contact with Dodi when his affair with the Princess became public. She added that she was supposed to meet him in September after he returned from Paris.
The mother of the alleged baby claimed she confirmed Dodi was the father of her child through a DNA test. Nothing has been heard of the child ever since but it was once reported that Dodi Al Fayed’s father and Diane Holliday were in court over the custody of the child.
Dodi Al-Fayed’s Legacy
Following the death Al-Fayed, Mohammed A-Fayed erected two memorials in honor of Dodi and Diana at Harrold. The memorial was first unveiled on 12 April 1998. It had two photos of the deceased lovers behind a pyramid-shaped display. Apparently, Dodi had plans of engaging the Princess so the ring he bought a day before they died was displayed beside their photos.
Since Dodi Al-Fayed’s father is no longer the owner of Harrods, it was announced in January 2018 that the memorial would be returned to his family.
