For those who know the details of Princess Diana’s death, Season 5 of The Crown was full of hints of what to come. The pressure of the press, the paranoia in her own home, and the introduction of one person all combine to clue in the audience for the tragedy that awaits her.
Season 5 focused on Diana’s relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and she pays little attention to the son of her friend, businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed, who she meets in Episode 2 of the season. For his part, Dodi Al-Fayed is busy with his fiance, finding a house for them to start a life together in LA while he pursues a career in film.
However, knowledgeable viewers will know that the fates of Dodi and Diana are tied together. Spoilers ahead for Season 6—let’s take a look at just who Dodi Fayed is.
Who is Dodi Fayed?
Born Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena’em Fayed, Dodi was the eldest son of Samira Khashoggi and Mohamed Al-Fayed, a wealthy businessman from Egypt who—as seen in The Crown—owned Harrods and the Ritz.
Wanting to create something for himself, Dodi pursued a career in film, producing Oscar winner Chariots of Fire and working on movies such as Breaking Glass and The Scarlet Letter. Outside of film, he also worked closely with his father on family projects, with a reported monthly allowance of £400,000, according to Cosmopolitan.
In The Crown, we see Dodi getting engaged to model Kelly Fisher, played by Erin Richards, but that wasn’t his first serious relationship in real life. He also married Suzanne Gregard in 1986 for a year-long marriage, as well as reportedly having relationships with celebrities like Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, and Daryl Hannah
When did Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed get together?
While Season 5 ends with Dodi and Kelly in newly-engaged happiness, their relationship will abruptly end when Dodi meets Princess Diana in the summer of 1997. In fact, the last shots of Diana see her packing to join Dodi’s father on the family yacht, which is where the pair were first photographed kissing.
This was the moment where Dodi and Diana’s relationship went public, in August 1997. Sadly, the photos were taken just days before Diana’s tragic death on August 31, 1997.
Dodi was traveling with Diana during the car crash that resulted in both of their deaths, while the couple was vacationing in Paris following their trip to the French and Italian riviera. According to the BBC at the time, Mohamed Al-Fayed’s press spokesman Michael Cole stated that Dodi and Diana had gotten engaged before their death.
The Crown Season 6 will include the deaths of Diana and Dodi, although it’s believed that the actual moments will not be recreated on film. Instead, the show will look at the events leading up to it and the aftermath for the rest of the royal family.
(featured image: Netflix)
