Who was Dodi Fayed, Princess Diana’s boyfriend on The Crown? The son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed led a luxurious life … and had that historic whirlwind romance shown on Netflix’s hit series
- The son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi had a production company that made the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire and led a lavish lifestyle before his tragic death alongside Princess Diana
- According to Jacques Peretti’s 2009 documentary, the Egyptian playboy hired Madonna and Tom Cruise’s publicist to make sure he was photographed going on dates with famous women
The latest season of Netflix hit series The Crown is showing the world who Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Fayed was, otherwise known as Dodi. Played by Egyptian-British actor Khalid Abdalla in the series, Dodi was famous mostly for being billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed’s son and having a very short-lived affair with Princess Diana.
He spent just over a month in a whirlwind relationship with Princess Diana. It was a union pursued by his father who had formed a relationship with the princess in his quest to become entrenched in the British monarchy, according to journalist Jacques Peretti who produced a documentary on Dodi.
Fayed had never given an interview in his entire life – yet from July 11 to August 31, 1997, he was one of the most famous men on earth.
Here’s his story of wealth, women and, of course, Diana.
The Diana season of love
In 1997, Dodi was introduced to the world after a blurry image of him embracing Princess Diana was published. Immediately, the couple became a global obsession.
It was because of Dodi’s father Mohamed that the couple met. As is depicted in season five of hit Netflix show The Crown, Mohamed met Diana at a charity event in London. He soon offered her and her sons a holiday at his home in the south of France. Diana, William and Harry flew in his private jet to the south of France on July 11. After the boys left, Diana returned to spend time alone with Dodi, where their whirlwind relationship began.
‘Flashy Dodi’
