I torched Harrods' royal warrants, claims Fayed

Former Harrods' owner Mohamed al-Fayed has revealed he had the store's royal warrants taken down and burned.

The Egyptian businessman said the endorsements - from the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the late Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales - were a "curse" on the famous shop.

He said: "I ordered their removal. Later, I had them burned. They were a curse and business tripled following their removal."

Mr Fayed has attacked the Royal Family on several occasions since the deaths of his son Dodi and Diana, Princess of Wales in a Paris car crash in 1997.

He accused the Duke of Edinburgh of "masterminding" the deaths and described the royals as "that Dracula family". The warrants were removed in 2000.

Mr Fayed, who sold the London store for 1.5 billion to the Qatari royal family, called on them to keep two memorials to his son and the late princess.