Mohamed Al Fayed had reportedly begun to accept the deaths of his son Dodi and Princess Diana were accidental before he died.
According to The Sun, the former Harrods owner is said to have softened his view on how they lost their lives in Paris in August 1997.
Mr Al Fayed’s death at 94 was confirmed on Friday (September 1) evening. Fulham FC, the football club the tycoon previously owned, said in a statement he passed away on Wednesday (August 30).
This means Mr Al Fayed died one day short of the 26th anniversary of when he lost his son. Dodi Fayed was 42 when he was killed in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
The Princess of Wales, who was 36, died of injuries she sustained in hours following the crash. Their driver Henri Paul also died, with Dodi’s bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones the only survivor.
It is believed Mr Al Fayed has been buried at the family estate in Oxted, Surrey, next to Dodi.
Death of Mohamed Al Fayed’s son Dodi and Princess Diana
Mr Al Fayed previously blamed the royal family for the deaths. Among other claims, he accused Prince Philip of being behind a plot, along with the British Security Services.
Furthermore, according to royal commentator Ingrid Seward, the late Queen is said to have suggested enemies of Mr Al Fayed may have “greased the brakes”.
The author has previously claimed: “Her immediate thought was that the enemies of Mohamed were unable to get to the father so had targeted the son.”
Despite conspiracy theories, inquest jurors ruled in 2008 that Diana and Dodi were unlawfully killed in the crash.
And ex-PR executive Chester Stern, who represented Mr Al Fayed from 2001 to 2004 and is said to have remained friends with him, has suggested the billionaire “mellowed” in his views.
‘It was almost an obsession’
Mr Stern claimed to The Sun: “He spoke to me about it all the time. It was a constant sort of feature in his life, it was almost an obsession.
“But he mellowed in his view as he got older. He had backed off it being a direct conspiracy led by Prince Philip in more recent years and just spoke about an ‘Establishment’ conspiracy. Mr Al Fayed stopped being so vocal about it all after the inquest.
Mohamed Al Fayed didn’t publicly accept that it was an accident but he may have privately accepted it.
“He didn’t publicly accept that it was an accident but he may have privately accepted it. The fact he stopped pushing the conspiracy theory and Prince Philip would suggest he was quietly beginning to come to terms with it.”
Mr Stern also highlighted how Mr Al Fayed maintained legal action against paparazzi who chased the car until recently. The former aide indicated ensuring somebody was identified as legally responsible for the crash was “very important to him”.
Read more: Mohamed Al Fayed cause of death confirmed in tender family tribute
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