Women accuse former Harrods boss Al Fayed of sexual abuse: ‘I was just terrified’
LONDON — Mohamed Al Fayed would tell his female staff to call him “Papa.”
LONDON — Mohamed Al Fayed would tell his female staff to call him “Papa.”
Some 37 women are now accusing the Egyptian billionaire of sexual assault and in some cases rape, including six Americans and one woman who gave an exclusive U.S. media interview to NBC News. Al Fayed, the former owner of London’s luxury department store Harrods who was featured prominently in Netflix series “The Crown,” died in 2023 at the age of 94.
But the women — many of whom appeared at a news conference in the British capital Friday, where lawyer Gloria Allred described what she said was the “systematic trafficking of women for sexual gratification” — have spoken out this week as part of a BBC documentary and podcast investigation, “Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.” The British public broadcaster’s reporting includes allegations from numerous Harrods staffers, five of whom say they were raped by Al Fayed.
The store said it was “utterly appalled” by the allegations against its former owner.
He would say, “come to Papa, I’ll protect you,” recalls Sophia Stone, who worked as Al Fayed’s personal assistant from 1988 to 1991.
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