{"id":67455,"date":"2022-11-10T23:08:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T23:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=67455"},"modified":"2022-11-10T23:11:28","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T23:11:28","slug":"the-crown-fact-or-fiction-mohamed-al-fayed-dodi-fayed","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-crown-fact-or-fiction-mohamed-al-fayed-dodi-fayed\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Crown’ Fact or Fiction: How Did Princess Diana Meet Mohamed al-Fayed and Dodi Fayed?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Crown Season 5 (Courtesy of Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fifth season of The Crown<\/em><\/a> has officially dropped on Netflix, and we’re engrossed in the drama that’s unfolding over the show’s new decade \u2014 the ’90s. Ever since the highly acclaimed series debuted in 2016, it’s taken some creative liberties from time to time, despite heavily relying on history to guide its plot. As we tune into the drama inspired by<\/em>\u00a0historical events,\u00a0GRAZIA USA<\/em>\u00a0is unpacking every time we asked ourselves, \u201cDid that really happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re focusing on The Crown<\/em>\u2019s third episode, \u201cMou Mou,\u201d which begins in 1946 in Alexandria, Egypt. We\u2019re introduced to an ambitious young street vendor named Mohamed al-Fayed, who’s intrigued by the story of King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne. The episode follows al-Fayed through his wedding and the birth of his son, Dodi Fayed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Crown Season 5 (Courtesy of Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The episode quickly jumps to 1979, where Mohamed (now a self-made billionaire) and Dodi purchase the Ritz Paris hotel.<\/p>\n

Mohamed meets Heini Wath\u00e9n, a Finnish model who would later become his second wife, and Sydney Johnson, who previously served at Edward VIII\u2019s personal valet for over 30 years. Hoping for a place in British high society, Mohamed enlists Johnson to teach him the country\u2019s customs and manners. Mohamed purchases the luxury department store Harrods, and as he moves up the social ladder, he decides to purchase and renovate the Parisian home of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson as a \u201cgift to the British royal family\u201d after the Duchess of Windsor\u2019s death, renaming the property \u201cVilla Windsor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Crown Season 5 (Courtesy of Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mohamed makes many attempts to make the acquaintance of Queen Elizabeth II but is consistently dodged by the monarch. Mohamed lands the VIP seat at the Royal Horse Show, expecting to be seated next to Queen Elizabeth, but she avoids the encounter once again, leaving the seat open to Princess Diana. The pair become fast friends, and Mohamed introduces Lady Diana to Dodi. Though brief, Dodi stares longingly at the Princess from across the venue.<\/p>\n

In reality, Mohamed became a fixture in the London upper-class long before meeting Princess Diana. He did in fact purchase the Ritz Paris hotel in 1979, Harrods in 1985, and signed a 50-year lease on \u201cVilla Windsor\u201d in 1986.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Crown Season 5 (Courtesy of Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dodi was known as a partier and a ladies man, and was photographed with a slew of popular American actresses before meeting Princess Diana. While it\u2019s unclear as to when and how the two actually met for the first time, TIME<\/em> magazine<\/a> reports that Diana and Dodi met on Mohamed\u2019s yacht in 1997 with Prince William and Prince Harry in attendance as well, enjoying the safety of Mohamed\u2019s private security. Dodi is said to have been engaged to model Kelly Fisher at the time.<\/p>\n

Dodi and Diana would go on to pursue a romantic relationship, tragically ending with them both dying in a car crash in 1997.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Crown Season 5 (Courtesy of Netflix)<\/span><\/p>\n

Mohamed persisted that the car crash was no accident, and hired private investigators and appealed the official French investigation on numerous occasions. The Egyptian billionaire read testimony before the Royal Courts of Justice in 2008, suggesting the British royal family was somehow involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe told me that she knew Prince Philip and Prince Charles were trying to get rid of her,\u201d he said in a quote acquired by the\u00a0New York<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Times.<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u201cThey cleared the decks. They murdered her.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31863,"featured_media":67462,"template":"","format":"standard","categories":[38,16,3925],"yoast_head":"\nWho Are Mohamed al-Fayed and Son Dodi Fayed?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who were the Egyptian billionaires Mohamed al-Fayed and Dodi Fayed, featured in the third episode of 'The Crown'?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/the-crown-fact-or-fiction-mohamed-al-fayed-dodi-fayed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'The Crown' Fact or Fiction: How Did Princess Diana Meet Mohamed al-Fayed and Dodi Fayed?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Who were the Egyptian billionaires Mohamed al-Fayed and Dodi Fayed, featured in the 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