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From poverty-stricken Egyptian boy to billionaire tycoon – that's the story the world got to know about self-made businessman Mohamed al-Fayed.
Mohamed, who passed away last week at 94, was known for having a hand in big-brand businesses such as Harrods and Fulham FC, as well as his wealth which included several Rolls-Royces and many aristocratic homes.
In a statement released by Fulham FC, his family said: “Mrs Mohamed Al-Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday 30 August 2023."
The tycoon's $2 billion fortune (R24bn) is the talk of the town in the wake of his death. Ownership of Mohamed’s swanky Ritz Hotel in Paris and a massive estate in Oxted in Surrey, in the UK, are believed to be held in trusts and in tax havens ranging from Bermuda to Liechtenstein, the Daily Mail reports.
Mohamed’s eldest son, Dodi, died alongside Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris in 1997, but he also had four other children with his second wife, Finnish model Heini Wathén: Jasmine (42), Karim (39), Camilla (38) and Omar (35).
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It’s been reported that the two youngest children, Camilla and Omar, have been caught up in conflicts over the years, leading to questions about how Mohamed's inheritance might be distributed.
Court documents detailed an argument between the two at their father’s estate in Surrey, England, during the 2020 lockdown, with MailOnline reporting that a “physical altercation” took place between Omar and Camilla’s husband, Mohamed Esreb.
“It’s quite a common drama where there are families with an elder leader figure who's in his winter period of life,” Omar said in an interview. “I’m not vying for top-dog position. I'm really trying to encourage harmony.”
Many critics have compared the wealthy family's squabbling to the hit TV show Succession, where siblings battle over their late father’s business empire.
At the time of the altercation, Omar claimed £100,000 (about R2m) in damages from the alleged assault – claims his sister and brother-in-law have denied.
Meanwhile, Camilla claimed her brother was a drug addict, and called his behaviour an embarrassment to the family. He too rejects these allegations.
While his family have been left behind to battle it out over his billions, some people will remember Mohamed as Piers Morgan described him: a “flawed, complex character”.
He went from hustling for cash by selling cooldrinks and sewing machines on the streets of Alexandria to later receiving the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest civilian award.
Mohamed, who died on the eve of the anniversary of Dodi and Diana’s death – an event which devastated him – once told the Financial Times that when he died, he wanted his body on display in London department store Harrods, which he owned. “So people can come and visit me,” he said.
The billionaire has been laid to rest alongside his son on the family's Surrey estate.
SOURCES: THETELEGRAPH.CO.UK, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, LBC.CO.UK, THEGUARDIAN.COM, FT.COM
