BREAKING NEWS: Al Fayed Declares: "Enough Is Enough...That's It For The Sake of The Princes"
Written by Joanne Leyland
Monday, 07 April 2008
Page 2 of 2
The lengthy interview also saw the Harrods boss denying that he played any part in the plans which were drawn up on that fateful evening of August 30th-31st 1997.
It's long been suggested that, in a telephone conversation between Paris and London, Dodi and his father hatched the ultimately fatal plot which saw the princess's party depart the Ritz Hotel - which is owned by Mr Al Fayed - via the rear
exit, in the process using a decoy car in an attempt to avoid the
paparazzi.
Mohamed Al Fayed now places the blame for the crash firmly on the shoulders of the couple's driver, Henri Paul.
Having already gone off duty, during which time he downed several
alcoholic drinks, the acting head of security at The Ritz was called
upon at almost the eleventh hour to drive Diana and Dodi to the
latter's Paris flat where, according to Mr Fayed tonight, they were set
to "celebrate their engagement".
Asked to confirm that he was indeed now convinced that Henri Paul -
whom he believes to have been an agent in the employ of MI6 - was
responsible for "killing" his son and the princess, Mr Fayed replied: "Definitely".
Again, though, he appeared keen to stress that his decade-long campaign to find what he's previously referred to as "justice" and "the truth" is now over, Mr Fayed continuing: "This is the end. And I leave....it for God to help me."
However, the interview ended with the outspoken businessman keeping the
door open for further fresh analysis of the crash, saying of possible
future new evidence: "If anything can appear later then of course I
will follow it up. But for the time being, that's it for the sake of
the princes and for the sake also for me, after suffering [for] ten
years."
"I'm still grateful for the jury of ordinary people to come just to give me satisfaction that it is a murder, not an accident."
Tonight's interview comes just hours after ITN News ran a report in
which one of Diana's closest friends, Rosa Monckton, again implored
Mohamed Al Fayed to end the conspiracy theories.
It would seem her request - a sentiment which was widely aired in Tuesday morning's newspapers - has finally been heard by Dodi's clearly devastated father.
Comment: This most recent finding is no different than the other two inquest findings which lays the cause of the accident at the feet of the driver. Recasting the accident as murder and implicating everyone from Diana's sister to British agents to the Royal Family perhaps alleviated Fayed's suspicion that his employee made an error in judgement that caused the death of Fayed's son. Although he may be a social climber, I believe that his grief is very real, but what followed--the endless inquests, the claims that Diana was pregnant, the insistence that she was about to marry a man she hardly knew--all of that was a way to alleviate his own guilt. It was a Fayed employee who was at the wheel, it was a Fayed employee who made all the wrong decisions. And yes, in some respects it was a way to get back at all those people who wouldn't let Fayed become an English gentleman.
As for Prince Harry's comment, please, let's put it in perspective. In England, he is constantly photographed and commented on, and whatever he does, he will always come up short. People pretend they only want the best for him, but what they really want is for him to become the realization of their own thwarted fantasy.
Name: Monika
Comment: Exploora, I understand what you mean and I don't want to dismiss his grief, but how is it that he NOW accepts the role the paparazzi and Henri Paul played in all of this? The facts haven't changed. If, in his heart, he honestly believed there was a plot to murder Diana and his son, I cannot fathom how he can suddenly abandon his argument and accept the verdict. It simply doesn't add up. Jean Sue included an excellent quote yesterday about Diana and Dodi traveling from a Fayed hotel to a Fayed apartment in a Fayed vehicle with a Fayed driver and bodyguard. (Not an exact quote, but you get the idea.) In my opinion, THAT was the basis for his determination to shift the blame for the tragedy. And now that the verdict has been determined, he is suddenly adapting to it with amazing agility.
Name: isabel
Comment: The loss of a son? Or the loss of his best chance at the brass ring? The man is a recognised social climber and manipulator. His ambitions were to marry his son to the mother of the future King.
Call me cynical, but when it all fell apart, he had to have someone to blame for his losses and who better to blame than 'The Establishment' who shut him out.
Name: exploora
Comment: I think if it had been acknowledged at the very beginning that the tragic accident was more than a simple accident but unlawful negligence, the way Mr. Al Fayed responded may have been totally different.
IMO I think having someone you loved killed due to reckless endangerment would be much harder to get over. To mock Mr. Al Fayed does not sweeten his disposition. I remember seeing him on the big screen at a big football match, I think it may have been Chelsey and Manchester United playing, I don't remember exactly, he looked to me like he was very sad. I would think going to a game like that and seeing the other fathers with their sons would cause all kinds of feelings, while the tv camera is on his, possibly to mock him, would make anyone feel bad. This is a country who "organized" T5 at Heathrow airport. And Look how angry those people got when they lost a suitcase. So why wouldn't Mr. Al Fayed feel worse losing a son? Possibly the "establishment" will leave the country in ruins. As one HRH said openly "I don't like England much anyway", or something to that effect.
Name: anyacat
Comment: I have always felt that at the bottom of Fayed's craziness was his palpable agony at the death of his son. He had to find a reason because it was simply too painful for him to accept that Dodi's misjudgments and his own arrogance may have resulted in what was an entirely preventable accident. However, his crusade has not been a total loss because Fayed has besmirched the reputation of the Royal Family and dragged Diana through the mud by forcing revelations that were best left private. There will always be people in the world who subscribe to Fayed's fantasy conspiracy, regardless of the facts, or the findings of three expensive and protracted inquests.
Name: Jean Sue Libkind
Comment: Gee and it only cost $20 million to get to this point.
Name: Monika
Comment: Oh my God...the man can twist reality beyond recognition! His 'logic' is simply unbelievable. Suddenly, an unlawful killing at the hands of his own driver is satisfactory for a man who blamed everyone but the Pope!?! Amazing...almost as amazing as his newfound concern for Diana's sons.
I realize he lost a son and I don't want to sound cruel, but IMO this sudden reversal suggests that his truth finding mission was more about shifting blame than anything else.
Name: M-M
Comment: Yes , Mr Fayed can finally see it's useless to take on the British Establishment when they close ranks .
