From the Guardian · · 3m
The £150m bill Harrods did not budget for
275 women's claims against Mohamed Al Fayed and Harrods could run to three times what the store set aside.
In brief
275 women's claims against Mohamed Al Fayed and Harrods could run to three times what the store set aside. Harrods has paid out £4.1m so far. Lawyers for 275 survivors say the real bill is £100m to £150m, and that is before the estate pays anything. Originally reported by the Guardian.
A £150m reckoning
KP Law, acting for 275 women who say Mohamed Al Fayed abused them, puts the combined value of their claims at £100m to £150m.
Three times the pot
That figure is two to three times what Harrods set aside for all abuse payouts. Add the estate's share and the total bill could pass £200m.
The money barely moved
Harrods set aside £57m in 2025 and paid out just £4.1m. It then trimmed the fund by £1.1m, leaving £51.8m in January 2026.
Not fit for purpose
Lucy Traynor of KP Law says the store's redress scheme, closed to new claims on 31 March, underestimated what the abuse did to survivors' lives and careers.
“not fit for purpose”
Millions in lost earnings
Traynor says claims her firm is pursuing are worth hundreds of thousands more on average than Harrods paid, with some loss-of-earnings figures running into millions.
“We're seeing figures in the millions for [a client's] loss of earnings”
An £82,000 average
Harrods has settled 113 claims. Working from the £4.1m paid last year across more than 50 settlements, KP Law estimates the average payout at roughly £82,000, probably less.
Far below the ceiling
The scheme's maximum is £385,000: up to £200,000 in general damages, £150,000 for work impact, plus treatment costs and payments for wrongful STD tests.
A career that ended
Carrie Lazell was a designer at Harrods in her early 20s. She says she was groomed and assaulted by Fayed, and her work suffered while she was warned to stay silent.
“I couldn't say it's because every day the chairman of Harrods is abusing me.”
An open wound
Sarah Savogi describes severe PTSD and nightmares she says therapy can no longer touch. Texan twins Holly Johnson and Heidi Givens say the delay keeps them stuck.
“Right now it's like an open wound that can't heal.”
Talks stalled this summer
KP Law says negotiations halted while Harrods moved to replace the estate's executors, believed to be Fayed's relatives. Harrods denies this blocked anyone's compensation.
The case keeps growing
More than 400 allegations have been made. Several women are now recognised as trafficking victims, seven suspects have been interviewed under caution, and a file has gone to the CPS.
Paid off, not understood
Survivors say the scheme shut before the full scale emerged. Harrods calls it one route among several and says it is committed to compensating every eligible survivor.
“I think what they were trying to do was to pay off as many women as they possibly could as quickly as possible.”
The takeaway
Harrods has paid out £4.1m so far. Lawyers for 275 survivors say the real bill is £100m to £150m, and that is before the estate pays anything.
