Mr Michael Cole, spokesman for the British department store Harrods and its owner, Mr Mohamed al-Fayed, is taking early retirement, aged 55.
Mr Cole, who was rarely off British television screens last summer after the death of Princess Diana and Mr al-Fayed's son, Dodi, in a Paris car crash, spent his last day as director of public affairs yesterday. "Michael has provided invaluable support to me and my family and of course to Harrods over the past 10 years," Mr al-Fayed said in a statement. During those 10 years Mr Cole, a former royal correspondent for the BBC, had to handle public relations in a number of difficult cases, including Mr al-Fayed's accusation that Conservative politicians accepted cash from him to ask questions in parliament.
But it was the death of Princess Diana which made Mr Cole's face familiar to millions. Most recently Mr al-Fayed said he was "99.9 per cent" certain that the high-speed Paris car crash was no accident.
"Although I leave with much sadness . . . I have made many lasting friendships particularly with Mohamed al-Fayed and his family and enjoyed being so closely involved in the growth and development of Harrods," Mr Cole said.