Fans of The Crown may be looking forward to seeing Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed's romance play out in the new series, but it won't all be smooth sailing if the season five finale is anything to go by.
The penultimate season was full of several twists and turns (who could forget Prince Charles’ plot to overthrow the Queen?) but one of the biggest shocks came at the eleventh hour.
While Mohamed Al-Fayed befriended a newly-divorced Diana, setting the scenes for future romance between his son, Dodi, and the Princess, Dodi had entirely different plans: proposing to his girlfriend, Kelly Fisher.
The Crown, of course, is a fictionalised account of true events, meaning you can't take every scene at face value. But the real-life Kelly Fisher has spoken publicly about her relationship with Dodi, prompting many to attempt to separate the fact from the fiction.
With that in mind, here's everything we know about Kelly's relationship with Dodi, including their rumoured engagement, shortly before Dodi and Diana's tragic deaths.
Who is Kelly Fisher?
Kelly Fisher is a former model, who enjoyed a highly-successful career after she started working at 16, going on to model for big-name brands including Calvin Klein, Armani and Victoria's Secret.
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She was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but relocated to Ontario as a child, when her family moved for her father’s job, before her modeling eventually took her to Paris, where she met Dodi Fayed.
When did Kelly Fisher meet Dodi Fayed?
Kelly and film producer Dodi reportedly met in Paris, July 1996, where they quickly fell in love and embarked on a relationship together.
Just months later, in November of the same year, Dodi asked Kelly’s parents for her hand in marriage (her lawyer later claimed).
According to Kelly, the couple were looking forward to starting a family together and marriage was on the cards.
Were Kelly Fisher and Dodi Fayed engaged?
Kelly claims she was engaged to be married and that the couple had set a date, but says Dodi dumped her over the phone just two days before they were due to tie the knot.
As per her account, her former fiancé delivered the news on 7 August, 1997, the same day his relationship with Princess Diana made headlines. Just weeks later, the couple were tragically killed in a car accident.
Speaking to The Sun, Kelly said: "I was heartbroken to see the pictures of Diana and Dodi together. But the most heartbroken I ever, ever was – ever – was when he died. That was too much for me. It was incredibly difficult."
After Dodi and Kelly's relationship ended (but before the fatal crash), the model filed a lawsuit against her film producer ex.
Then 31, Kelly held a press conference in Beverly Hills, accompanied by her lawyer Gloria Allred. It was claimed that Dodi offered Kelly money to sideline her modelling career, so she could spend more time with him, but she dropped her lawsuit after Dodi’s death.
Dodi's family denied he had ever been engaged to Kelly.
Where is Kelly Fisher now?
Kelly Movshina (née Fisher) now works as a property developer, as per her interview with The Sun. She is married to pilot Mikhail Movshinna, and the couple live in Aiken, South Carolina, together with their daughter, Alexandra Grace.
Reflecting on the loss of Diana and Dodi, and referencing Princes William and Harry, she told the publication, "I have a daughter now and cannot imagine what would have happened if I was suddenly gone. I can’t imagine what those boys must have felt."
Amber O’Connor is Cosmopolitan UK’s former junior features writer, who covers everything from breaking news, women’s safety and real life features to fitness, travel, and cultural trends. She works on first-person features, reports, and long reads, plus the hottest stories of the day (if you want to know about the latest wellness craze or TikTok trends, she’s your girl). Amber has previously worked as a reporter and a lifestyle writer, with her work appearing in numerous publications, including The Mirror, Red Magazine, Evening Standard, Indy100, and Yahoo News. When she’s not working her way through her TBR list, Amber loves dancing, running, and going on adventures with her dog.
