Mohamed Al Fayed attempted to ‘win over’ Princes William and Harry by offering them a special gift from Harrods.
Princess Diana's connection to former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed is very well known – but many are unaware of how he tried to 'win round' Princes William and Harry with a gift
Over 20 former Harrods employees have come forward with allegations of assault and physical violence against Mohamed Al Fayed, its previous owner, including claims from five women of rape. Princess Diana was often seen in the company of the late Egyptian billionaire, an association that became historically poignant after she died in a Paris car crash in 1997 along with his son, Dodi.
Amidst these allegations, a top royal commentator reflected on how Al Fayed sought to charm Diana’s children, Prince William and Prince Harry, with a thoughtful gift from the world-renowned department store. Prince Harry notably dubbed the present “genius” in his candid autobiography, Spare, according to OK!
Speaking to OK!, Jennie Bond, a former BBC royal correspondent, recounted the princes’ experience, explaining: “Harry wrote in his book about his mother’s ‘friend’. He said that as long as their mother was happy, they had no problem with him.”
She added what Harry revealed regarding the gift, saying: “Harry said both he and William were very impressed by laser pens from Harrods given to them by Mohamed. He wrote: ‘He was the father of mummy’s boyfriend, so maybe he was trying to win us over. If so, job done. We thought those lasers were genius. We whipped them around like lightsabers.'”
Lightsabers, the iconic luminescent blades featured in the Star Wars universe, are wielded by Jedi and Sith to slice through adversaries and obstacles alike.
