Yahoo News Who was Dodi Fayed? Princess Diana's love interest at the time of her death
If, like us, you're absolutely obsessed with The Crown, you've probably been counting down the weeks, days, minutes and even seconds until the release of the sixth season of the hit Netflix show.
Season five saw the fictional royal family facing lots of changes, as the Queen attempted to deal with the public's growing disillusionment toward the monarchy; meanwhile, Prince Charles planted seeds for his mother's abdication, and Princess Diana received an invitation to spend the summer on Mohamed Al-Fayed's family yacht.
This, of course, was setting the scenes for Diana and her future boyfriend Dodi, aka Mohamed's son. It's also prompted viewers to head to Google to find out answers to their questions, like: Who was Dodi Fayed? How did Dodi Fayed meet Princess Diana?
Some may also be wondering, ‘Was Dodi Fayed engaged?’, given last season saw his character proposing to his girlfriend Kelly Fisher.
With that in mind, here's everything we know about Dodi Fayed, his rumoured fiancée, and his relationship with Diana.
Who was Dodi Fayed?
Dodi Fayed was born in Egypt in 1955 to author Samira Khashoggi and billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed – the former owner of iconic London department store Harrods. Growing up he split his time between his family's various homes across the world, including Cairo, Paris and the Riviera, until age 15 when he moved to London.
After working as a junior officer in the United Arab Emirates air force, stationed in London, he went on to pursue a career within the filmmaking industry, working on a number of titles. At the same time, Dodi established himself as a wealthy playboy within the party-scene elite in the mid-eighties, and he's rumoured to have dated celebrities including Julia Roberts and Winona Ryder.
How did Dodi Fayed meet Princess Diana?
Dodi first met Diana when she was still married to Prince Charles, at a 1986 polo match in Windsor, according to The Independent. But it wasn't until 1997, when Diana was invited by Dodi's father to spend time on his yacht in the south of France, that they really got to know each other.
At the time, Diana was said to be in a long-term relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. He later told an inquest that she had broken off their romance shortly after meeting Dodi, although she denied he was the reason for their split.
In August, Diana returned to Mohamed's yacht, where she and Dodi were photographed kissing, making headlines across the world. After their trip, the pair flew to Paris together, where they tragically died.
Was Dodi Fayed engaged?
Dodi allegedly proposed to model Kelly Fisher just a few months before he was photographed kissing Diana in August 1997 (and weeks before the car accident that killed them both).
Kelly and Dodi met in Paris in July, 1996. Enamored with the model, Dodi reportedly asked her to give up her work, instead paying her a £2,000 daily allowance.
According to Kelly, he went on to buy her a ring, and also promised to buy her a house. After the Diana-Dodi photo was published, Kelly announced she was filing a lawsuit against Dodi. Gloria Allred, Kelly’s lawyer, claimed that Dodi had "led her emotionally all the way up to the altar and abandoned her when they were almost there" and "threw her love away in a callous way with no regard for her whatsoever".
However, the Fayed family denied that Dodi was ever engaged to Kelly and she dropped the lawsuit after Dodi's tragic death.
How did Dodi Fayed die?
On 31 August 1997 the world woke up to the news that Princess Diana had died in a car crash in Paris, along with Dodi Fayed and her driver, Henri Paul.
Dodi and the driver were pronounced dead at the scene, however Diana was rushed to a nearby hospital – later passing away at 4:53am.
The only survivor of the crash was Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones.
Who is playing Dodi Fayed in The Crown?
Khalid Abdalla, best known for his role in The Kite Runner, has been cast as Dodi Fayed in the upcoming fifth season of The Crown. He'll star alongside Elizabeth Debicki, who takes over from Emma Corrin as Princess Diana.
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