Heini Wathén is a Finnish former model best known as the widow of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the Egyptian-born businessman who owned Harrods and Fulham Football Club. The couple married in 1985 and had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla and Omar. Their marriage lasted until Al-Fayed’s death on 30 August 2023.
Born in 1955, Wathén first attracted public attention through beauty competitions in Finland before pursuing modelling. Her later public record includes company directorships and legal challenges concerning property development. As of October 2026, she is also involved in proceedings over the administration of her late husband’s estate.
Key takeaways
- Early career: Wathén was a Finnish model who won the Miss Summer beauty title in Hanko in 1972.
- Marriage: She married Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985 and became the stepmother of his son Dodi Fayed.
- Children: She and Mohamed had four children: Jasmine, Karim, Camilla and Omar.
- Business roles: British company records document her directorships at The Ritz Hotel, Limited, Hyde Park Residence Limited and MAFHF Office Ltd.
- Current position: As of 26 October 2026, she remains a registered director of MAFHF Office Ltd and is named in ongoing legal proceedings concerning Mohamed Al-Fayed’s estate.
Heini Wathén profile summary
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full registered name | Heini Jasmine Wathen-Fayed |
| Commonly known as | Heini Wathén |
| Born | February 1955 |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Former occupation | Model |
| Known for | Modelling career, marriage to Mohamed Al-Fayed and documented public activities |
| Husband | Mohamed Al-Fayed (married 1985; died 2023) |
| Children | Jasmine, Karim, Camilla and Omar |
| Stepson | Dodi Fayed |
| Current registered role | Director, MAFHF Office Ltd (as of October 2026) |
Early life and modelling career in Finland
Heini Wathén was born in Finland in February 1955. British company records confirm her birth month and year, while biographical accounts identify Hanko, a coastal town in southern Finland, as her birthplace.
Her earliest clearly documented public achievement dates to June 1972, when she participated in a beauty competition in Hanko.
A historical photograph preserved in the Finnish Heritage Agency’s collection identifies Wathén as the winner of the Miss Summer title and a press-favourite award.
The Finnish archival photograph and its description provide a record of her involvement in beauty competitions before she became associated with the Al-Fayed family.
The distinction matters because some online biographies describe her early achievements imprecisely. Her documented 1972 victory was in the Miss Summer competition, rather than the national Miss Finland contest.
Wathén subsequently worked as a model. Her modelling background is independently acknowledged in established British reporting, including The Guardian’s obituary of Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Biographical accounts also describe her spending time in Paris during the 1970s, although the precise details of her international modelling work are less firmly documented.
By the following decade, her life had become closely connected with the Al-Fayed family, whose business interests extended across Britain and France.
Marriage to Mohamed Al-Fayed and family life
Heini Wathén married Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985.
At the time, Al-Fayed was becoming one of Britain’s most recognisable businessmen. His commercial interests included Harrods, the Paris Ritz and, later, Fulham Football Club.
Their marriage brought Wathén into a family that attracted considerable attention from the British press, particularly through its business activities and connections with prominent public figures.
The couple had four children:
- Jasmine Fayed
- Karim Fayed
- Camilla Fayed
- Omar Fayed
Their names and relationship to the couple are documented in major newspaper obituaries, including The Guardian’s account of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s life.
Her relationship to Dodi Fayed
Wathén was also the stepmother of Dodi Fayed, Mohamed’s son from his earlier marriage to Samira Khashoggi.
Dodi worked in film production and became internationally known through his relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales. Both died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
Although some biographies describe Dodi as having played a role in introducing Wathén to Mohamed, the detailed circumstances of their first meeting are not firmly established by accessible original reporting.
Wathén and Mohamed remained married until his death on 30 August 2023, at the age of 94.
Their marriage spanned nearly four decades, during which the Al-Fayed family’s commercial interests and public profile changed considerably.
Business roles and independent public activities
Wathén’s public identity is often presented almost entirely through her marriage. However, British corporate records establish that she also held formal company appointments.
According to her Companies House appointment records, she served as a director of several registered businesses.
Her documented appointments include:
| Company | Directorship period |
|---|---|
| The Ritz Hotel, Limited | 13 May 2011 – 17 June 2019 |
| Hyde Park Residence Limited | 23 June 2016 – 30 July 2025 |
| MAFHF Office Ltd | Appointed 1 April 2021; active as of October 2026 |
These appointments establish formal corporate responsibilities, although they do not reveal how extensively she participated in daily management.
In particular, her appointment at The Ritz Hotel, Limited should not be confused with a confirmed management position at the Paris Ritz.
Beyond company appointments, Wathén has appeared in public disputes concerning property development in Finland and England.
Opposition to development in Finland
In October 2018, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, in reporting reproduced by Rakennuslehti, described Wathén’s opposition to a proposed waterfront development in Espoo’s Westend district.
The proposal involved substantial construction in an established residential area.
Wathén objected to the scale of the development and had previously raised concerns about construction in the area.
The episode provides an example of her taking a public position on a local planning issue independently of her husband’s business activities.
The reporting did not establish that her intervention alone determined the project’s outcome.
The Surrey crematorium dispute
Wathén later became involved in a legal challenge to plans for a crematorium in Surrey, England.
In June 2022, The Standard reported that she was opposing the proposed development near the family’s property.
Speaking outside court, Wathén expressed concern about preserving the character of the surrounding countryside.
The case continued through several levels of the British judicial system.
Her initial challenge was dismissed in the High Court in January 2023, followed by another dismissal in the Court of Appeal in May 2024.
The dispute ultimately reached the UK Supreme Court.
On 30 July 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Wathén’s appeal, bringing the planning challenge to its final documented outcome.
The decision is recorded in the official Supreme Court judgment, Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The ruling established the outcome of the legal challenge. It did not determine Wathén’s broader personal views or motivations.
Where is Heini Wathén now?
As of 26 October 2026, Heini Wathén remains publicly identifiable through her active company directorship and her involvement in proceedings concerning Mohamed Al-Fayed’s estate.
Companies House continues to list her as an active director of MAFHF Office Ltd.
Following Mohamed’s death in 2023, questions surrounding the administration of his estate have become the subject of legal proceedings involving Harrods and members of his family.
The dispute relates partly to compensation arising from allegations of sexual abuse against Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Harrods has been addressing claims by women who allege that they were sexually assaulted or harassed by its former owner. Those allegations concern Mohamed Al-Fayed and must be distinguished from the responsibilities of the people administering his estate.
The estate-executor dispute in 2026
According to The Independent’s report published on 22 October 2026, Wathén and her daughters Camilla and Jasmine are named as executors of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s estate.
An executor is responsible for administering a deceased person’s estate, including dealing with assets, liabilities and relevant legal obligations.
Harrods is seeking to have the three family members replaced by independent executors.
The dispute concerns the administration of the estate and the potential financial implications of compensation claims against Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The Independent reported that the court had ordered limited disclosure of information ahead of a further hearing.
A two-day hearing concerning the application was scheduled to begin on 3 November 2026.
As of the 26 October reporting cutoff, the application had not been established as successful, and no final decision removing Wathén as an executor had been confirmed.
Her involvement as an executor does not establish that she participated in, knew about or bears personal responsibility for the alleged misconduct attributed to her late husband.
The proceedings are distinct from her earlier Surrey planning case, which concluded in 2025.
Wathén’s latest documented public position therefore combines a continuing registered company appointment with an unresolved role in the administration of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s estate. The scheduled November hearing is the next reported development that could change that legal position.
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