Mohamed Al-Fayed

"I love Britain. . . Ethics and morals count in Britain like nowhere else in the world."

"[On religion] When we die, our souls still live. If you are a gangster or a bastard or a crook your soul inhabits a donkey or something terrible."

"[On wanting to become Britain's PM] If I have British passport - why not? This is my country now. And I am very popular. I have a warehouse full of letters of support. You can see them."

"If this planet lasts for another thousand years people will still be talking about the terrible event we are now living through."

"I am not resting until I die. I am not doing this for myself, but for the country."

"They are the main two. I don't think the Queen is important. The Duke of Edinburgh runs the country behind the scenes; he is the actual head of the Royal Family."

"I am not talking to you, you are bloody idiot, you are part of the establishment, you work for MI6."

"[He] did more good in the world than all his critics rolled together. [...] And I'm very sorry that he's dead because he was a life-enhancing figure and he tremendously supported this country. He believed in it."

"The fact is that if you talk to the people who actually knew him, who worked for him, who were his customers, they have a completely different view from people who sit in ivory towers and take pot shots at him."

"Fayed did not want the facts of his background and his take-over of Harrods to come out. He bribed politicians to try to ensure a cover-up. When that failed, and the damning DTI report was finally published, Fayed became angry because his bribes had not worked."

"All these matters mean, you may think, that Mr al-Fayed's appreciation of what is fact and what is fiction and what is truth and what is fantasy is warped."

"When Francesca Bettermann was hired, she had to take an H.I.V. test—women working close to the chairman had to undergo full internal exams and be grilled on their entire gynecological histories—and her handwriting was analyzed."

"According to former employees, Fayed regularly walked the store [Harrods] on the lookout for young, attractive women to work in his office. Some were asked to go to Paris with him. Good-looking women were given gifts and cash bonuses almost before they understood that they were being compromised. "Come to Papa," he would say. "Give Papa a hug." Those who rebuffed him would often be subjected to crude, humiliating comments about their appearance or dress. A dozen ex-employees I spoke with said that Fayed would chase secretaries around the office and sometimes try to stuff money down women's blouses."

"For evidence of his vengefulness, look no further than his exposure of Neil Hamilton and the other MPs embroiled in the cash-for-questions scandal, and his subsequent pursuit of Jonathan Aitken. This was not a principled stand against corruption, for he was the self-confessed corrupter. It was, rather, an act of straightforward revenge, during which it became plain that he had kept all the necessary documentation to prove his allegations."

"[In 1997, Porter was the UK editor of Vanity Fair] Our concern was that if we settled, the evidence about his [Mohamed Al-Fayed's] abuse and surveillance would never be available to her. So it was vital that she understood that all Fayed’s properties were wired for audio and video, and that she could never be sure of having a private conversation on his premises, let alone being able to undress without being watched. Through intermediaries, we made our fears known. Diana's friend Rosa Monckton and her husband Dominic Lawson also repeatedly warned Diana. I have no idea whether she paid attention. By the end of July 1997, no agreement was reached."