According to Joan Collins, when Fayed began his romance with Diana during the summer of 1997, he already had a girlfriend. Before Diana, Fayed had been in a purportedly serious relationship with Kelly Fisher, an American model. Fisher alleged that she and Fayed had been engaged. While Diana was staying on Fayed’s father’s yacht near St. Tropez, Fisher claimed she was on a neighboring yacht, and that Fayed was still involved with her.
That same summer, Collins was also on a different yacht in the same vicinity. The actor wanted to get together with Fayed and Diana, but when one of the people in their group tried to issue a dinner invitation, they were rebuffed “by three security guards, brandishing Uzi guns and telling him to ‘go away,'” Collins explained to the Daily Mail. Even before his relationship with Diana, Fayed had been concerned about security and employed multiple bodyguards and backup personnel.
Although she was astonished by Diana and Fayed’s relationship, Collins was supportive of the match. She surmised that Diana’s romance with Fayed might prove helpful as she moved forward after her divorce from King Charles. About a week before Diana and Fayed’s deaths, Collins heard an anecdote about their visit to a St. Tropez restaurant with William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry. “They were laughing and dancing around, like any young family,” Collins informed The Guardian. “Hearing how happy she’d been made it all the more tragic.”
Post source: The List
