Harrods Director Apologizes for Abuse Under Al Fayed

Michael Ward, the managing director of Harrods, issued an apology and acknowledged that the company 'failed our colleagues' due to the toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion, and sexual misconduct under the late former owner Mohamed Al Fayed. Al Fayed, who owned Harrods from 1985 to 2010 and died last year at the age of 94, has been accused by five women of rape and by several others of sexual misconduct. Ward, who worked under Al Fayed for four years, claimed he was unaware of Al Fayed's criminality and abuse at the time. He described this period as 'shameful' and announced an independent review to investigate the allegations and ensure his own conduct is scrutinized. Despite rumors of Al Fayed's behavior circulating publicly, no official charges or allegations were presented to Ward by the police or internal channels. The Metropolitan Police are reviewing the allegations to determine if any new leads exist.