A star of The Crown who plays Dodi Fayed’s uncle has said that he doesn't believe Princess Diana and the playboy were truly in love with each other.
By day, Mohammed Kamel, 47, from Wembley, teaches English for the Brent Start Education Centre in North-West London.
But after wowing the casting directors of Netflix’s most talked-about and controversial ratings smash, his extra-curricular acting classes have paid off royally - netting him a role in the season finale.
He plays the Uncle of Princess Diana’s last boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, who tragically died with her in the Paris car crash, which is the focal point of the sixth and final series of The Crown.
In an exclusive interview, Mohammed, whose family is Egyptian like the Fayeds, said of Diana’s ill-fated romance with Dodi: “I don’t believe they were truly in love with each other, or were about to get married. And Diana was certainly not pregnant, as had been speculated, with his child.”
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Mohammed is in The Crown (Jack Dredd/REX/Shutterstock)
Mohammed works as an English teacher (Jack Dredd/REX/Shutterstock)“Rather, I believe that they had a fun summer together and helped give some comfort to each other during a testing period. They both, as grown adults, understood it for what it was.
“I also don’t believe that Diana was deliberately courting controversy, as a way to stay in the headlines, or to steal the limelight from Charles, Camilla and the Royal family.
“I do, however, believe that Diana had enough fortitude and cunning to know when to invite certain journalists and photographers to her, so that she could defend herself if she felt her truth was not being told, and she wanted to get across her side of the story to the press.
Diana passed away in 1997 (David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock)“Diana knew how to do that, and in that regard, was certainly not a shrinking violet. Diana did a lot for charity, especially with her amazing work on landmine awareness, and to support AIDS patients. There were kind-hearted acts by her, and genuine acts, from a beautiful yet troubled soul.”
The first four episodes of the concluding season of 'The Crown' have just been released on Netflix, with the remaining six set to drop on 14th December.
After accepting Mohamed “Mou Mou” Al-Fayed's offer for her and her sons to join his family for a vacation in St. Tropez, the new and final season focuses heavily on the blossoming relationship between Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, that ended with their fatal Paris car crash.
Mohammed, pictured above carrying the coffin at Dodi’s funeral, and with on-screen brother Mohamed Al-Fayed, refutes the conspiracy theories around the crash and said: “What happened on the 31st August 1997 was a tragic accident. Nothing more.”
Egyptian businessman, Mohammed Al-Fayed, who owned Harrods, is portrayed in the series as a manipulative and coercive father who encouraged Dodi to propose to Diana.
Mohammed, who plays Al-Fayed’s brother, said: “Peter Morgan and the showrunners are not documentary filmmakers. They are making entertainment to keep an audience riveted by a storyline. As such, they are storytellers and must follow storytelling tropes, such as having some goodies and baddies, some protagonists and villains. Without that, there is no conflict and no drama. As Alfred Hitchcock once said: “With no strong villain, there is no story.”.
“It is clear that the portrayal of Mohamed Al-Fayed is slightly pantomime villain in this final season of ‘The Crown’, and I play his more restrained and sensible brother. But this serves the drama of the story. And although there may be some small elements of truth to it, it is not necessarily an accurate portrayal.
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“Mohamed Al-Fayed, like Diana, did much for charity, and secretly, for certain communities. The portrayal of Charles, and other members of the Royal family, has been quite cold and bitter, and reacting unfeelingly to the tragic news of the fateful accident in Paris, is again, I believe, artistic license from the showrunners, and is not necessarily an accurate reflection of real history.
“No human being can be 100% good all the time, or 100% bad all the time. In each of us there are shades of grey and nuance.”
On the back of his rising profile, Mohammed, who landed a supporting villainous turn opposite Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in summer blockbuster, 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' , is now an Ambassador for cancer charity, Prost8 UK, to raise awareness of a new, pioneering and minimally-invasive focal ultrasound treatment for prostate cancer - available on the NHS and recently launched in UK hospitals - that doesn’t have the undignified side effects of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.
London-born Mohammed said: “Emma Thompson is one of my acting inspirations. I told her that 'The Remains of the Day’, in which she co-starred with Sir Anthony Hopkins, is one of my favourite films of all time. She replied: “I’m so glad you remember and cherish that movie. These days, most people recognise me as Nanny McPhee! Emma was so warm, funny and self-deprecating in real life – now I love her even more.”
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