The luxury lairs where Mohamed Al Fayed raped his young victims: From Edward VIIIs Parisian mansion to The Ritz and Park Lane penthouse
The lavish mansion where one of Mohamed Al Fayeds personal assistants was allegedly raped has a 94-year history and a long connection with the Royal Family.
The lavish mansion where one of Mohamed Al Fayeds personal assistants was allegedly raped has a 94-year history and a long connection with the Royal Family.
Villa Windsor in Paris was constructed in 1929 and it became a much-loved home for King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson in the decades after his abdication.
The property was later taken on by Harrods owner Al Fayed in 1986 and he had wanted it to be a home for his son, Princess Dianas boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed.
The property in the Boulogne woods with 1.5 hectares of gardens has seen a range of famous visitors such as King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, singer Cole Porter, actresses Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene Dietrich, and tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
But today, a shocking hidden secret about Villa Windsor was revealed after one of Al Fayeds personal assistants, named Gemma, claimed she was raped there in 2009.
Villa Windsor in Paris was constructed in 1929 and has hosted a series of famous visitors
King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson are pictured in the home on July 30, 1966
Wallis Simpson welcomes Prince Charles to her home in Paris on May 18, 1972
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles stand together with Wallis Simpson during a visit in 1972
King Edward VIIIs study at the property is pictured in June 1994 after Al Fayeds restoration
The stunning property in the Boulogne woods in Paris features 1.5 hectares of gardens
The property is depicted in season five of Netflixs The Crown, starring Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Al Fayed (left) and Salim Daw as Mohamed Al Fayed (right)
Photographs and other items belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, pictured in 1994
Speaking about the incident, Gemma told BBC News that she woke up in her bedroom at the property to find Al Fayed next to her in bed, wearing just a silk dressing gown – and he then tried to get into bed with her.
She added: I told him, no, I dont want you to. And he proceeded to just keep trying to get in the bed, at which point he was kind of on top of me and [I] really couldnt move anywhere. I was kind of face down on the bed and he just pressed himself on me.
Gemma said he directed her to clean herself afterwards, adding: Looking back now Im older, more mature, I realise that that was probably to cover up anything, any kind of evidence, anything that would have left his trace on me.
She said she felt terrified afterwards, adding: In Paris, there were security guards patrolling the house, there were security guards outside the house, we were locked in a gated property, wed been escorted there that day by the police, so I felt like I couldnt even go to the police, even if I could make my way out of the property.
I couldnt even contemplate leaving the country because he had my passport, so my only way to leave was with him back on that private jet back to London.
The home, which was portrayed in Netflixs The Crown, was designed by architect Roger Bouvard as a summer home for urban planner Georges-Eugéne Haussmann.
Initially known as Château Le Bois and then by its address of 4 Route du Champ dÉntraînement, the home was sequestered by the French government in 1944.
General Charles de Gaulle and his family took up residence for two years until 1946, before it was leased to Duke and Duchess of Windsor by the City of Paris in 1953.
Edward and Simpson oversaw a major refurbishment of the 14-bedroom mansion, where they remained until their deaths in 1972 and 1986 respectively.
Just days before Edwards death, his niece Queen Elizabeth II visited him there. Her son Prince Charles had also previously paid a visit, in a moment which featured in series three of The Crown.
George Saegre (left) and his wife Ofelia (centre) who were butler and maid to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor - alongside Sydney Johnson (right) who was also a butler, pictured in 1986
The Duchess of Windsors bedroom is dusted by housekeeper Maria Costa in June 1994
The dining room at the Duke and Duchess of Windsors home in Paris, pictured in 1986
Mohamed Al Fayed with Princess Diana at a charity dinner held at Harrods in February 1996
The salon where singer Cole Porter would entertain the Windsors guests, pictured in 1994
The property later taken on by Harrods owner Al Fayed in 1986, the year in which it is pictured
The upstairs boudoir at the Duke and Duchess of Windsors home in Paris, pictured in 1986
In 1986, the mansion was leased by the city to Al Fayed for 50 years with a rent of Fr1million per year, with a stipulation that the Harrods owner spent Fr30million on renovations.
In The Crown season five, the character of Al Fayed talked about restoring the villa and insisted that no matter the cost, it will be my gift to the British Royal Family.
He also gave it the name of Villa Windsor. However, no episodes of The Crown were actually filmed at the property.
Al Fayed finished a £10million restoration in 1990 and had hoped to turn the property into a museum dedicated to Edward and Simpson.
He told People at the time: Its like a mausoleum. It sometimes gives you the creeps- both of them having died here. But its still a happy place, a great fantasy which I love to live in.
In 2020 Al Fayed - father of Princess Dianas boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed - decided to give the property back to the city and then died in August last year aged 94.
And it has since undergone a multimillion-euro renovation after the city signed it over to a charitable heritage foundation.
Albéric de Montgolfier, president of the Mansart Foundation charity, revealed last year that the city had given his organisation a 32-year lease on the property.
Speaking about when De Gaulle was in residence, Mr Montgolfier said: It was a very interesting period because lots of Frances laws were signed there, including the one giving French women the right to vote.
And looking at its more recent history, he added: Al Fayed originally intended it as a home for his son Dodi and had planned an engagement lunch there for Dodi and Diana.
Some 13 women said Al Fayed sexually assaulted them at 60 Park Lane in London (pictured)
Al Fayed had a luxury apartment in the 60 Park Lane block overlooking Londons Hyde Park
Mohamed Al Fayed attends attends a show at his hotel The Ritz Paris on December 6, 2016
The Ritz Hotel in Paris, France, where another sexual assault is alleged to have taken place. File image
But the lunch had been scheduled for the day after Dodi and the Princess were killed in the city in August 1997, and therefore never took place.
Mr Montgolfier also said: It is a luxury house with a big, big dining room, a beautiful hall, a library and one and a half hectares of gardens. It is just ten minutes from the Place de lÉtoile in a really great location.
The property was originally set to open to the public for the first time this summer to coincide with the Paris Olympics, but this has now been pushed back to next year.
Major works include installing a new heating system and features to meet modern-day health and safety standards – along with a café, museum and small restaurant. Admission is set to be free.
Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods airs on BBC Two at 9pm tonight and is available on BBC iPlayer. The accompanying five-part season of the World of Secrets podcast, from the BBC World Service, is on BBC Sounds
