Harrods Executive Accused of Supplying Victims to Al Fayed

Mohamed Al Fayed's reputation, the former owner of Harrods, faces new revelations following his death in 2024. What began as isolated rumours has evolved into a series of detailed allegations exposing, according to British media, a systematic pattern of abuse and exploitation allegedly orchestrated by the Egyptian tycoon with the help of close associates.

Channel 4's Dispatches programme and an additional investigation by The Telegraph have uncovered a web of manipulation and cover-up that, according to several testimonies, spanned decades. At the centre of the controversy is Kelly Walker Duncalf, aged 48, identified not only as an accomplice of Al Fayed but as an active facilitator of encounters with young women who were later allegedly abused.

Various documents and testimonies reveal that Duncalf allegedly worked as a recruiter for Al Fayed, introducing young women in social contexts under professional or personal promises that resulted in abusive situations. Her involvement dates back to the 1990s and 2000s, a period during which she held trusted positions in Al Fayed's circle.

In 2015, a specific allegation accused her of arranging a meeting that led to a rape by Al Fayed, an incident that supposedly occurred two years earlier. According to The Telegraph, this allegation was dismissed or ignored, along with more than 21 other claims related to inappropriate conduct by the businessman while he was still alive.

While Al Fayed managed to evade public scrutiny, Walker Duncalf thrived in her career. Residing in Jersey, she is currently the managing director of KWD Solutions, a luxury image consultancy operating in London and Oxfordshire. Her sister, Susanne, is also recognised in the fashion and interior design industry.

Various testimonies compare her role to that of Ghislaine Maxwell in relation to Jeffrey Epstein, indicating that Walker Duncalf not only facilitated encounters but also discouraged victims from reporting, minimising the severity of the incidents or threatening them. Apparently, her influence was based on her charismatic appearance, luxurious lifestyle, and ability to gain the trust of young women who interested Al Fayed.

In one of the most shocking accounts, a 20-year-old woman claims that in 2013 she was persuaded by Walker Duncalf to visit Al Fayed's mansion in Park Lane, with the promise that it would benefit her career. Upon arrival, she was sexually assaulted while Walker Duncalf waited elsewhere in the house.

Another testimony comes from a newly hired worker at Harrods, who claims that Walker Duncalf sent her to an apartment owned by Al Fayed under a work pretext. There, she was sexually assaulted and received $800 as payment. When she confessed the incident to Walker Duncalf, she coldly responded: "What can we do against one of the richest men in the UK?"

Following the airing of the Channel 4 documentary and the growing media exposure of the case, Harrods now faces more than 250 claims related to the conduct of its former owner. Meanwhile, Walker Duncalf has disappeared from public life, closing her social media profiles on Instagram and LinkedIn.