Mohamed Al Fayed, the former Egyptian-born owner of Fulham FC and father of Dodi Al Fayed has died aged 94, The Guardian reported.

His death comes almost 26 years to the day after the car crash in Paris that killed Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales, on August 31, 1997.

“Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday, August 30, 2023,” Fulham FC said in a statement.

Fayed, known for known for his ownership of Harrods, was born in Alexandria and was the son of a schoolteacher.

In 1966, he became an adviser to one of the world’s richest men, the Sultan of Brunei. Before that launched his own shipping business.

He, along with his brother Ali moved to Britain in the 1970s and bought the Paris Ritz Hotel in 1979.

The two brothers took over Harrods in 1985 at £615m from British businessman Roland “Tiny” Rowland.

A government investigation into the takeover, published in 1990 found that the Fayeds had lied about their wealth and origins to secure the takeover.

They called the claims unfair. Five years later, his first application for British citizenship was rejected.

Fayed was never granted citizenship and threatened to move to France, which gave him the Legion of Honour, its highest civilian award.

In 2010, Fayed sold Harrods to a Qatar’s fund for a reported £1.5 billion, although it was once reported he wanted to remain there even in death.

He told the Financial Times in 2002 that he wanted his body to be put on display in a glass mausoleum on the Harrods roof “so people can come and visit me”.

In 1997, Fayed bought Fulham football club in west London for £6.25 million, famously inviting Michael Jackson to watch a game at Craven Cottage. He transformed the club from a struggling outfit into a top-flight side.

He sold the club to billionaire businessman Shahid Khan in 2013.

Fayed married the Finnish socialite and former model Heini Wathén in 1985, with whom he had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla, and Omar.

He was involved in a long-running campaign after the deaths of Dodi and Diana, claiming that the crash was not an accident and that it had been orchestrated by the British security services.

However, French police concluded that it was an accident, caused in part by speeding and by the high alcohol level in driver Henri Paul’s blood.

In 2006, a Metropolitan police inquiry led by Lord Stevens found no evidence to back up claims that the security services were involved in any way.

Al Fayed became a friend of Diana through his sponsorship of charities and events attended by royal family members. The billionaire’s relationship with the royal family was recently depicted in season five of The Crown, where he was played by Salim Daw.

He set up the Al Fayed Charitable Foundation in 1987 to improve the lives of impoverished, traumatised and very sick youngsters.

According to Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires, Fayed was worth $1.9 billion in November 2022.