Mohamed Al-Fayed, Harrods owner whose son dated Princess Diana, dead at 94

Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death of his son and Princess Diana, has died, Fulham Football Club said in a statement.

"On behalf of everyone at Fulham Football Club, I send my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mohamed Al Fayed upon the news of his passing at age 94," said Shahid Khan, who succeeded al-Fayed as owner of the London soccer club.

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman. He built his family's fortune in real estate, shipping and construction, first in the Middle East and then in Europe.

Although al-Fayed owned establishment symbols such as Harrods, Fulham and the Ritz hotel in Paris, he was always an outsider in Britain, tolerated but not embraced.