Dodi Fayed did more than just date Princess Diana — he also helped make the movie "Chariots
of Fire." Here's a look at the man Princess Diana dated and what his life was like before
their tragic end together.
Dodi Fayed was the first child born to Mohamed Al-Fayed, owner of the London-based mega luxury
department store Harrods.
Dodi's father was also the owner of the Fulham football team and the Hotel Ritz in Paris,
France — the last place where Princess Diana and Dodi were seen alive.
His mother, Samira Khashoggi, was from a well-connected family, with a weapons dealer brother and
a father who was the personal doctor of Saudi Arabia's King Abdul Aziz.
Dodi Fayed first started making a name for himself as a producer in the glitzy world
of entertainment.
Fayed is said to have had a desire to move out from under the shadow of his father. It
was thanks to his father that he had the financial backing to do so, as he reportedly received
an allowance of $100,000 a month from his family as a young adult.
Fayed's career in Hollywood was quite successful. His production company Allied Stars backed
six major films, including the Oscar-winning 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire," and Dodi was
credited as an executive producer on Dustin Hoffman's "Hook" and Demi Moore's "The Scarlet
Letter."
With all that power and excess behind him, it's not a surprise that many of his friends
have described Dodi Fayed as charming. His ex-wife, Suzanne Gregard, had nothing but
positive things to tell the Independent about Fayed following his death, telling the publication,
"He was so romantic and thoughtful, and didn't take things too seriously."
Friend Andrew Wainrib has offered another version of who Fayed was in public, explaining
that Fayed seemed to use money to control the social situations he was in. Wainrib told
the Daily Mail,
"To Dodi it was a show. It was his brand, he wanted people to know he was the guy that
made things happen."
Wainrib went on to add that Tony Montana, the character from "Scarface," was a personal
favorite of Fayed's, and he often used the name as an alias when checking into hotels
while on trips.
He also said that his friend seemed to enjoy building a public persona that had a degree
of mystery to it, explaining,
"He liked to play it cool, he liked to be the mysterious character, there was definitely
a certain allure to that."
Rich and charismatic, it's not a surprise that Dodi Fayed dated famous women before
he met Princess Diana. He allegedly had a brief relationship with Julia Roberts following
their time working together on "Hook," and his other famous girlfriends are said to include
Tina Sinatra, daughter of Frank and Nancy Sinatra and former model Traci Lind.
Mark Fleischman wrote in his book "Inside Studio 54" that Fayed reportedly had a bit
of a dark side to him during his Hollywood years and regularly engaged in wild nights
out that included plenty of drugs and excess. As the former owner of the infamous club,
Fleischman wrote in his 2017 memoir,
"Dodi loved Quaaludes, good quality coke and hot women and he always had plenty of those."
Though their relationship didn't kick off for more than a decade after meeting, Dodi
Fayed and Princess Diana were actually first introduced at a polo match that involved his
father and Prince Charles all the way back in 1986.
The pair reconnected after a charity event attended by Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Mohamed reportedly connected with Diana and offered up one of his homes as a holiday retreat
for both her and her two sons; Diana took him up on the offer, and the threesome were
re-introduced to Dodi after he joined everyone on the trip.
The vacation was a lavish one, taking place largely on Mohamed's yacht, the Jonikal. After
the boys returned home to London, Diana and Dodi took their own trip on the Jonikal to
the south of France.
A bodyguard assigned to Dodi and Diana on the trip told The Sun that the princess appeared
to be having a wonderful time, and that she began each morning by walking out and looking
to see how many photographers were tailing the couple.
"Would Dodi and Diana have got married, do you think?"
"Definitely."
Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana's relationship progressed quickly, but Fayed was allegedly
already in a serious relationship when he and Diana kicked things off. In the days that
followed the deaths of Fayed and Diana, former model Kelly Fisher revealed that she and Fayed
were planning to get married and that he ended things with her only two days before the wedding.
She detailed the emotional struggle she faced after first finding out Fayed and Diana were
together, and then learning of his passing only weeks later. She said that experience
was a surreal double-whammy, explaining,
"I was heartbroken to see the pictures of Diana and Dodi together. But the most heartbroken
I ever, ever was — ever — was when he died. That was too much for me. It was incredibly
difficult."
However, Fayed's ex-wife, Suzanne Gregard, has stated that she doesn't believe Fisher's
side of the story. After Fayed's death, Gregard told the Irish Times,
"Kelly told me, 'I've broken up with him, I've had enough.'"
The wildly popular original Netflix series "The Crown" is set to cover the last days
of Princess Diana in its fifth season, and has already cast its Dodi Fayed. Variety revealed
that Dodi will be portrayed by Khalid Abdalla, who starred in "The Kite Runner." Abdalla
will play Dodi opposite Elizabeth Debicki's Princess Diana.
After the news was announced in September 2021, Abdalla tweeted his excitement about
taking on the role, writing,
"Sharp intake of breath, for so much to discover. I can't wait. It's a pleasure & honour to
be joining everyone on @TheCrownNetflix."
Per Variety, Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, will be portrayed on the show by actor Salim
Daw. All in all, the news promises a thorough examination in the series of the tragic last
days of Diana's life, with Dodi Fayed by her side.
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