The Ritz Paris, where Princess Diana stayed shortly before her death, has been searched as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking and rape linked to late businessman Mohamed Al Fayed.
French authorities searched the hotel and two other properties last month, with the operation revealed on Tuesday.
British investigators took part in the raids alongside their French counterparts, and several arrests were reportedly made.
Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods and Fulham Football Club, died in 2023 at the age of 94.
Since his death, hundreds of women and girls have accused him and his late son, Salah Al Fayed, who died in 2010, of sexual abuse.
The allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed came to wider public attention through a 2024 BBC documentary, which featured claims of rape and sexual assault.
French prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into suspected “human trafficking committed by an organised gang, aggravated pimping committed by an organised gang and rape” allegedly connected to the tycoon.
Investigators also entered the former residence of King Edward VIII, who gave up the throne before becoming the Duke of Windsor.
French authorities have searched properties linked to Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods and Fulham Football Club
Princess Diana was captured on CCTV at the Ritz Paris shortly before her fatal journey in 1997
Edward and his wife, Wallis Simpson, spent three decades living at Villa Windsor in Paris, where they reportedly waited for an invitation to return to the country he had once ruled.
After the couple died, Al Fayed acquired the property as he expanded his extensive business and real estate holdings.
His portfolio also included the Ritz Paris. In 1997, Diana left the hotel and climbed into a car belonging to Al Fayed’s son Dodi, who was taking her across the French capital to his apartment on the Champs-Elysees.
The vehicle later crashed into a pillar after driver Henri Paul lost control, resulting in one of the most devastating tragedies associated with the British royal family.
The third location searched was Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, the luxurious French Riviera property where Dodi spent time with Diana during her final holiday.
A statement issued by the prosecutor’s office said: “At this stage of the procedure, several victims have been interviewed by French investigators, and the inquiry is being conducted in cooperation with British authorities.
“In this context, searches and evidence-gathering operations were carried out in mid-October 2026, notably at the Ritz hotel in Paris’s first arrondissement, Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, formerly owned by Mohamed Al Fayed, and Villa Windsor in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, with British investigators present.”
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A number of suspects were taken into police custody, while digital devices were seized during the searches. The investigation remains under the supervision of the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Former King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson lived at Villa Windsor in Paris for 30 years
Villa Sainte-Thérèse in Saint-Tropez, where Dodi Al Fayed spent time with Diana during her final holiday
Campaigners have urged British police investigating allegations against Al Fayed to conduct searches at properties in the UK as well.
Jen Mills and Lindsay Mason, co-chairs of the campaign group and former personal assistants to Al Fayed, said: “We want the same level of scrutiny applied to every property where survivors say they were taken or abused, including locations in Britain.
“The searches in Paris and Saint-Tropez must be the start of this process, not its conclusion.”
They continued: “Survivors have been waiting far too long. What matters now is whether these investigations can finally provide answers, accountability and justice.”
The campaigners added: “For decades, survivors have described young women being recruited and transported between Al Fayed’s properties in Britain and abroad.
“We have never believed this involved just one person acting alone. Al Fayed is dead, but many of the people who may have assisted him are still alive, and his death must not shield them from scrutiny.”
The survivor support group No One Above has likewise said it believes the allegations point to “a network, not one man”.
A spokesman said: “French authorities have referred the case to their specialist trafficking unit and organised crime prosecutors, treating it as suspected trafficking carried out by an organised gang.”
The Metropolitan Police has described its inquiry into people who may have enabled Al Fayed’s alleged crimes as “one of the largest and most complex” investigations currently being conducted by the force.
Seven people have so far been interviewed under caution. They include four women aged in their 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s, along with three men aged in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
A police spokesman said: “Seven suspects have so far been interviewed under caution on suspicion of offences including aiding and abetting rape and sexual assault, facilitating sexual offences, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
“Detectives have also submitted a complete evidential file to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision involving another suspect, who is alleged to have committed two indecent assaults against two women in London.
“A total of 169 victims have now come forward. We will continue examining their accounts for evidence of human trafficking. Where evidence supports such a referral, and with the victim’s consent, we will refer cases to the Home Office through the National Referral Mechanism.”