Mohamed Al Fayed- Egyptian-born tycoon was never far from controversy

Transcript

00:00 controversial. He was the billionaire businessman from Egypt with a ruthless reputation and an obsession with British royalty.

00:07 But the connections Mohamed Al-Fayed craved ended in tragedy.

00:12 From a humble start he built businesses and a name for himself, adding the Al to Fayed to sound aristocratic.

00:20 Moving to London he sought high society and

00:26 inspirational assets, buying the Ritz in Paris and his crown jewel Harrods, a British institution.

00:33 It was a deal so disputed the government investigated and

00:38 found he'd lied about his wealth.

00:40 He was twice refused British citizenship.

00:49 In

00:52 1997, the year he bought Fulham Football Club,

00:55 everything changed. His son Dodi was in a relationship with Princess Diana when they died in the Paris car crash,

01:03 being driven at speed and guarded by Mr. Al-Fayed's team.

01:08 He long argued their deaths were murder, a plot between Prince Philip and MI6.

01:15 All my fears, all what I've been trying to fight in the last six years,

01:21 to get the truth with all the unanswered questions. You think is this

01:26 right for me? I'm the father who lost a child.

01:29 But his conspiracies were dismissed during the inquiry and inquests.

01:37 Mohamed Al-Fayed believed he was racially vilified by the establishment he'd so revered.

01:44 Oh look, a gift bag.

01:49 Special gifts for the boss lady.

01:51 That gets me anywhere.

01:54 Boss lady seems allergic to me. His stories now retold

01:58 fictionally to new audiences in the Crown.

02:02 He'd sold Harrods and Fulham, but

02:05 significantly kept the Ritz, the place his son and Diana spent their final evening.

02:11 Laura Bandock, Sky News.