Exclusive:
Cancer Research UK – whose patron is the King – has been handed £45,500 by the late billionaire’s charity since 2017 but is reviewing if it will keep taking money.
Britain’s biggest cancer charity may refuse to accept more cash from the estate of Mohamed Al-Fayed – after he was accused of being a serial rapist.
Bosses at Cancer Research UK – which is backed by the King – are reviewing their relationship with the disgraced billionaire’s foundation. The charity is one of a string of good causes to have taken hundreds of thousands of pounds between them since sex claims against the ex-Harrods chief were broadcast in 2017.
But the BBC ’s damning exposé on Thursday has forced a rethink – as the number coming forward following appeals about the alleged predator today topped 150. The move underlines the horrific nature of behaviour levelled against Al Fayed – and the claims that his company helped cover up his attacks.
Cancer Research UK has taken £45,500 towards its vital work from the mogul’s foundation since 2017 – the same year Dispatches broadcast an allegation Fayed had groomed a 17 year old Harrods employee. The charity – whose patron is King Charles — got money as recently as 2022 but says it is “shocked” by the rape claims in this week’s BBC programme.
Five women have bravely told how the late Harrods tycoon — who has been likened to vile abuser Jimmy Savile — raped them. On Saturday, a legal team representing accusers said they have “had over 150 new enquiries” since the airing of the documentary.
The enquiries relate to a “mix of survivors and individuals with evidence about Al Fayed”, a spokesperson said. And the ex-coach of Fulham FC’s women’s team – which Al Fayed used to own – has revealed extra precautions were imposed to protect female players from the tycoon.
The BBC Documentary, Al-Fayed: Predator At Harrods – featuring allegations against the businessman. Al Fayed – whose son, Dodi, was killed in a car crash in France with Princess Diana in 1997 – died last year aged 94.
Cancer Research UK is among a series of charities which have accepted cash from the Al-Fayed Charitable Foundation (ACF) in recent years. The charity got £5,000 in 2022, £14,000 in 2019, £11,500 in 2018 and £15,000 in 2017.
In 2017, Dispatches reported claims of groping, assault and harassment. And in the late 1990s, ex-Harrods staff spoke publicly about what they alleged was a terrifying regime of sexual harassment, intimidation and bugging under Al Fayed.
We have found that the baby hospice charity Zoe’s Place has accepted over half a million pounds from Al Fayed’s foundation since 2017. The charity – which counts Al Fayed’s daughter, Camilla, as an ambassador – got £90,000 in 2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017, as well as £82,500 in 2021 and £97,500 in 2020.
Last year, the charity paid tribute to the businessman after his death, writing: “Everyone at Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice is saddened to hear of the passing of Mohamed Al Fayed, who has been a friend of Zoe’s Place for many years. From all of our families and staff, we would like to pass on our most sincere condolences to all of Mr Al Fayed’s family and friends.”
Meanwhile, the Imperial Health Charity – whose work includes funding hospital refurbs – was given £50,000 in 2019. And World Animal Protection was handed £45,000. The charity, whose mission is to stop animal cruelty and suffering, got £10,000 in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2017 and £5,000 in 2018.
The most recently published accounts for the ACF state: “The trust continues to receive the majority of its income from donations from Mr & Mrs Al Fayed.” Its trustees include Al Fayed’s daughter, Camilla, and his widow Heini. Al-Fayed was previously the charity’s chairman.
Its website boasts it was “set up to help children suffering from life-threatening illnesses and/or living in poverty”, adding: “It has evolved further over the years and now extends its support by making one-off and regular donations to children’s causes and animal welfare charities.”
Barrister Dean Armstrong KC – part of a team representing 37 women which is building a claim against Harrods – told us: “I do think, I hope and believe this ushers in a new dawn of corporate responsibility, particularly towards women.” He added: “I would welcome and invite a greater degree of corporate responsibility and obviously with that will come greater knowledge of people who are either giving or receiving donations.”
At a press conference on Friday, the tycoon was compared to Savile, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein. One woman, Natacha, said Al Fayed subjected her to a forced kiss – and once forced himself on her in his private pad.
And on Saturday, an ex-Harrods employee told of “enablers” at the luxury store who were “as guilty as Al Fayed because they were not just passive onlookers”. The woman said she worked in a “very junior role” when she was 21. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “They were actually helping to send girl after girl into a total nightmare. “I think that some individuals should be identified and that they should be questioned into their collusion.”
Cancer Research UK said: “We are shocked by the allegations made against Mohammed Al Fayed. We have received donations from the Al-Fayed Charitable Foundation in the past which have been spent to fund research into cancer. We consider donations very carefully and accept in line with our policies and regulation in order to fund our mission to beat cancer. We take allegations of this nature very seriously, and will review our position regarding accepting any future donations from the Al-Fayed Charitable Foundation.”
Adam Stricker-Morecroft, Interim UK Country Director at World Animal Protection, said: “World Animal Protection did not have a direct relationship with Mohamed Al-Fayed. The donations referenced here were made from a Family trust. Our relationship is with another member of the family who is an extremely passionate supporter of wildlife, to help animals such as those suffering in the Brazil wildfires. In light of the disturbing allegations, we will monitor the situation and our decisions will take into account Charity Commission Guidance on such matters.”
An Imperial Health Charity spokesperson: “We received a one off donation from the Al-Fayed Foundation in 2019 to fund research. We have no further plans to apply for or receive money from the Foundation.”
The ACF and Zoe’s Place were contacted for comment. Harrods – owned by Al Fayed from 1985 to 2010 – has said it was “utterly appalled by the allegations of abuse” and that they were “the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated”.
