Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, lifts the lid on a shocking proposal made by Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods. While numerous accusations of sexual assault emerged against Al-Fayed, Diana reportedly expressed her discomfort with this man, calling him “perverted”.
imago/Photoshot/John Shelley Collection
In an interview with “The Sun”, Paul Burrell, Diana’s former butler, revealed disturbing details about the relationship between the princess and Mohamed Al-Fayed.
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According to him, Mohammed Al-Fayed told Diana: “I want you to marry my son, because according to Egyptian tradition, it is the father who comes first.” Before continuing: “I’m going to sleep with you.”
Princess Diana was quick to refer to the former Harrods owner as ‘Yoda’, due to his wrinkled appearance, and as ‘God’ due to his immense ego. She also described him as a “perverse”, “sinister” and “slimy” being. “He touches me all the time,” she complained.
“She was shaking all over.”
Mohammed Al-Fayed, who died last year aged 94, became close to Diana as early as 1986, when he met her at a polo match. Her son Dodi, who later became the princess’s lover, also attended the event.
Paul Burrell recalls a scene where Diana ran out of his office, clearly upset. “I was in the car when she emerged, trembling all over, and repeated her exact words to me: ‘I want you to marry my son, because according to Egyptian tradition, it is the father who passes first>.” To lighten the mood, Diana then jokingly said: “Can you imagine making love with Yoda?”
Her son was just a doll
Paul Burrell finds Al-Fayed’s behavior towards Diana particularly repugnant, particularly his inappropriate remark about sleeping with her. “Diana was afraid of having to comply with him. By making this comment, he was setting the stage for this meeting and he was serious. Diana must have always thought about this during her relationship with Dodi.
The butler is convinced of one thing: “Above all, he wanted to be part of the royal family.” Her son would have been just a doll, a way to get closer to Diana and the royal family.
