Who are Dodi and Mohamed Al-Fayed in The Crown, and why do we spend an episode with them?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Crown season 5, episode 3. So if you’ve not yet caught up with the Netflix royal drama, bookmark this story for later.

Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw) and Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla) are the subjects of the third episode of the latest season of The Crown. 'Mou Mou' begins with a flashback to Egypt in 1946, where we see a young Al-Fayed develop his first fascination with the British Royal Family. 

The Crown depicts him as following this pursuit into his business ventures with his son, Dodi. He employs the Duke of Windsor’s former valet Sydney Johnson, renovates his dilapidated home, and becomes a sponsor of the Royal Windsor Horse Show – all seemingly done with the aim of impressing Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton). 

Meanwhile, Dodi is pursuing dreams of his own to become a film producer. We see him on the set of Chariots of Fire, which goes on to win Best Picture at the 1981 Oscars. In the episode’s final scene, Al-Fayed’s final ploy to meet with the Queen backfires as Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) is instead seated next to him. 'Mou Mou' ends with Diana being introduced to his son Dodi.

Given the episode is a departure from the stories of the Royal Family that the rest of the season focuses on, some viewers unfamiliar with the royal history may be unsure why the episode focused on the Fayed family. However, their relationship with Diana was an important one for the Princess of Wales.

Diana had a close relationship with Mohamed and his son, Dodi, was her partner before her death. Diana, Dodi, and their driver Henri Paul were all killed in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris in August 1997.

Their relationship does not follow the exact format of how it develops in The Crown. It’s thought that Diana actually met Mohamed and Dodi during a 1986 polo match with Prince Charles. Although, per The Independent, not much is known about their initial meeting.

Dodi and Diana didn’t grow closer until 11 years later when the Princess of Wales went on holiday to St. Tropez with the Fayed family. Joined by her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, they traveled on Al-Fayed’s new luxury yacht the Jonkial.

After this, Dodi and Diana began a romantic relationship, weeks before their death. Their romance and Diana’s final weeks are due to be the main subject of The Crown season 6's opening episodes.

For more on Netflix drama, check out our guides to The Crown season 5 guest cast, returning The Crown cast in season 5, The Crown season 5 cast vs. the real Royal Family, and how many episodes there are in The Crown season 5. And if you’ve already watched it all, here’s our breakdown of The Crown season 5 ending.