The Crown makes its return to Netflix with Season 6 Part 1, introducing key new character Dodi Fayed into Diana’s life. But who is he?
November marks the return of The Crown with its sixth installment, which has been split into two parts. Season 6 Part 1, which streams on Netflix from November 16, 2023, explores the events leading up to Princess Diana’s death in 1997.
Alongside focusing on Diana’s (Elizabeth Debicki) continuing fraught relations with now ex-husband Charles (Dominic West) and Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton), a new significant character enters the fold in the form of Dodi Fayed.
Played by Khalid Abdalla in The Crown Season 6, who is Dodi Fayed and what is his relevance to the Princess of Wales? Warning – some spoilers ahead!
The Crown Season 6: Who is Dodi Fayed?
Dodi Fayed, full name Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Mena’em Fayed, was an Egyptian film producer and the son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed (played by Salim Dau in The Crown Season 6).
Born in Egypt in 1955, Dodi’s father Mohamed had business interests including ownership of the Hôtel Ritz Paris, Harrods department store, and Fulham Football Club. Dodi’s mother was Saudi Arabian author Samira Khashoggi, the sister of Saudi billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
Fayed studied at both Collège Saint Marc and the Institut Le Rosey, before briefly attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was then an attaché at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in London.
Thanks to his family’s production company Allied Stars, Dodi Fayed served as an executive producer on Chariots of Fire, Breaking Glass, F/X, F/X2, Hook, and The Scarlet Letter.
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Prior to meeting the Princess of Wales, Fayed married model Suzanne Gregard but divorced 8 months later. At the time of meeting Diana, Fayed was engaged to be married to model Kelly Fisher.
Dodi Fayed in The Crown Season 6
In The Crown Season 6 Part 1, viewers see Dodi Fayed being set up to meet Diana in St Tropez by his father Mohamed, deeming Kelly as unworthy of the family name. Though the pair started out on friendly terms, things quickly progressed to a romantic level, putting an end to Fayed’s engagement.
According to the show, Mohamed was pulling the strings, pushing Dodi to propose not long after meeting. Claiming that their connection was a love for the ages, there have been conflicting reports on just how in love Diana and Dodi were. The Crown alludes to the pair continuing to just be friends on the evening of the fatal car crash, though Dodi never managed to break the news to his overbearing father.
Dodi Fayed was in the same fatal car crash as Diana in Paris in 1997. As The Crown touches on, Fayed was killed instantly, while Diana was rushed to hospital with internal bleeding. Spokesmen for Fayed said that the couple had become engaged shortly before their deaths, though this hasn’t been proved.
Mohamed was invited to Diana’s funeral but was seated rows back from the Royal family. Fayed’s father also erected tributes to the couple in their honor. Dodi Fayed was buried in Surrey in October 1997.
The Crown Season 6 Part 1 is available on Netflix from November 16th. Catch up with more of our coverage below:
- What time is The Crown Season 6 out on Netflix?
- What time is The Crown Season 6 Part 2 out?
- The Crown Season 6 Part 1 review: The truth will out
- The Crown Season 6 Part 1 ending explained
- The Crown Season 6 cast: All actors & characters
- Is Diana’s “ghost” in Season 6 of The Crown?
- The Crown Season 6 Part 2: What will happen next?
- The Crown Season 6: Everything we know