Daughter of US ambassador bravely reveals how Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed sexually assaulted her on his yacht after trapping her far off the coast of St Tropez

As the girl of the US ambassador, 19-year-old Melissa Price's beingness successful London was happy, varied and full.

It was the mid-Eighties and she would travel her father, Charles Price, a trusted person of the past Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan, to functions.

She often attended meal parties and receptions which her begetter and mother, Carol, hosted astatine Winfield House, the ambassador's authoritative residence acceptable successful much than 12 acres of Regent's Park, cardinal London.

It was astatine 1 specified gathering that she archetypal met Mohamed Al Fayed, who had precocious acquired Harrods, the centrepiece of his hopeless run to get acceptance into British society.

Melissa says: 'He was sitting connected my close astatine a meal for 12. At first, I recovered him chatty and entertaining – yet the information was that helium wasn't similar that astatine all.'

The information Melissa would observe immoderate weeks later, erstwhile Fayed assaulted her connected his yacht aft trapping her acold disconnected the seashore of St Tropez.

She recalls him forcing himself against her from down and gripping his arms astir her truthful tightly she was 'unable to determination the precocious portion of my body, constricting my breathing'. He past spat retired a bid of depraved demands backed with intersexual threats.

'He was trying to rape me,' she says. 'It was the archetypal clip I had felt successful existent danger. We were surrounded by miles of achromatic sea, nary show of land.'

One of the worst aspects of her ordeal was that Fayed's British employees connected committee the yacht, immoderate of them ex-military, heard her protests but simply turned a unsighted eye.

Only by biting his limb did she yet escape. 'It was a primal enactment of self-defence that tore done the cloth of his Egyptian kaftan,' says Melissa. 'He made his intentions wide arsenic to what helium was going to bash to maine and I wasn't going to fto that hap astatine immoderate cost.'

Melissa has ne'er spoken publically of those 'dark, disturbing days' successful September 1986, the fallout from which, involving the astir elder figures successful the British Establishment, surely crushed Fayed's hopes of acquiring the British citizenship helium craved.

Her nonaccomplishment to cheque successful with her household during the 48 hours she was held successful France triggered alarm not conscionable astatine No10, wherever her begetter held an urgent gathering with Mrs Thatcher, but astatine the White House and CIA office successful Langley, Virginia.

Even now, astir 4 decades later, Melissa reacts physically erstwhile she sees a photograph of the Harrods boss. 'He is simply a monster,' she says. 'Fayed took maine against my will. That changed my beingness and volition ever beryllium with me.'

The affectional effect of her ordeal connected her father, ever profoundly protective of her, remains vivid successful her memory. Widely regarded arsenic 1 of the astir fashionable and palmy American envoys of caller times, helium was instrumental successful preserving the peculiar narration betwixt Britain and the US during the Eighties.

Fayed had underestimated the steely persona of the affable-but-tough diplomat from Missouri, whom the media was fond of likening to the movie heroes James Stewart and John Wayne.

Having dined astatine Winfield House and past seeing thing incorrect successful abducting the girl of his big was emblematic of what Melissa describes arsenic Fayed's 'twisted consciousness of entitlement'. 'It convinced him that his presumption was superior to that of my father,' she says.

But Melissa says the ambassador was a 'formidable unit to beryllium reckoned with' and the 'malevolent ambitions of Fayed to summation British citizenship portion assaulting the girl of a diplomat didn't basal a chance'.

Before her ordeal, Melissa's beingness successful London was mostly carefree. She was studying the past of creation astatine a London good arts school. Spirited, amusive and hard-working, she had a wide ellipse of friends.

Soon aft their archetypal meeting, Fayed offered Melissa a occupation astatine his offices successful Park Lane, cardinal London, buying antiques and décor. Although the relation was vague, she says: 'I thought it mightiness beryllium fun.

'He gave maine drawings and plans of his homes and apartments for which helium wanted maine to bargain furnishings. It ne'er occurred to maine that helium had immoderate different motives successful providing maine a job.' But it did onslaught her arsenic unusual that helium showered her with currency and gifts.

She adds: 'He was offended erstwhile I tried to garbage them and truthful I stashed them successful a drawer.

'At the commencement of a enactment time portion astatine his office, helium said, 'Do you person your passport with you?' I told him 'Yes'. He said, 'We're going to Paris today'.'

If she oregon her begetter had immoderate inkling that Fayed had predatory tendencies, says Melissa, she ne'er would person worked for him, fto unsocial person gone to France.

She says: 'In Paris, helium took maine to his flat connected the Champs-Elysees, and past to The Ritz, wherever we had a expected 'work' dinner. I felt adjacent much uncomfortable erstwhile Fayed arranged for america to beryllium astatine a cosy country banquette, determination you'd beryllium connected a date, not with your teenage enactment assistant.

'During dinner, helium started putting his hands nether my skirt and connected my legs. He said, 'You are getting into my furniture tonight'. I made it wide that I would not beryllium sleeping with him. Ever.'

That night, the energy successful her country was turned off. She says: 'The lights went retired arsenic my punishment for not sleeping with him. I went looking for a telephone to telephone London to talk to my parents, but 1 of Fayed's information guards followed maine arsenic soon arsenic I near my room.'

Fayed had besides taken her diplomat passport, which she'd asked him galore times to springiness back. 'I felt similar his captive successful a overseas state with nary means of escape,' says Melissa. The adjacent greeting she saw a French girl, 'no older than 15', having meal successful his apartment. Melissa says: 'She was apt his contingency plan.'

When Fayed told her she was going with him to St Tropez to his yacht, Melissa protested. But helium claimed his radical had contacted her father's bureau and promised to instrumentality her to London the adjacent day.

She says: 'I didn't judge him, but I had nary recourse and had nary prime but to travel him.' 

On the yacht, she remembers Middle-Eastern euphony playing arsenic the Harrods brag demanded sex. 

She says: 'Nothing would person made maine privation to person enactment with this pitiful creature. But I deliberation my belligerence whitethorn person enticed him adjacent more.

'Fayed was wearing a kaftan and trying to travel connected to maine astatine meal successful an enclosed, airless, tastelessly decorated eating room. I felt verbally raped during hours of being subjected to his depraved descriptions of what helium wanted to bash to me.

'He began to get much and much aggravated and insulted that I didn't springiness successful to his sickening wishes. Surrendering was not an option.

'I conscionable wanted to get disconnected the boat. I felt sick, I needed immoderate air. I near the meal array to spell to the platform and Fayed followed me. I saw however acold retired we were from land. I was stuck connected this vessel with a sick, vile antheral astir the aforesaid property arsenic my father. He would person squashed him successful seconds if he'd known what helium was going to do. Fayed told everyone connected platform to spell away. This was the archetypal clip I had felt successful existent danger. I was shaking.'

'I said to him, 'My begetter is going to get you if you bash thing to me. If you wounded me, you'll beryllium successful existent trouble'. He tried to belittle my father, boasting that helium was superior successful presumption and wealth. He was successful information a coward'.

Pretending to hug her from behind, Fayed pressed himself aggressively against her, clutching her tighter and tighter, locking her into his grip.

 'He held maine truthful tightly, constricting my arms and thorax that it was precise hard to breathe. I was physically trapped. Some of the things helium wanted to bash to maine were utterly depraved. It felt similar helium was trying to rape maine done my clothes. At the aforesaid time, helium was telling maine to prevarication down connected the deck. I retrieve wanting to outcry but stopped myself, reasoning Fayed mightiness similar that.'

Her shouted protests were successful vain. 'The lone happening I could usage was my mouth,' she says, 'so I spot him hard connected the precocious arm. He screamed retired loud. Staff came rushing to his assistance but cipher asked maine however I was.'

Amid the mayhem, she managed to get distant and backmost to her cabin.

'I couldn't crook connected the h2o oregon the lights. He'd ordered his unit to crook them off. Again, punishing maine for defying him. His choler terrified me. He was truthful mad. I thought helium mightiness travel successful the nighttime and travel and get me, possibly termination me.

'I was locked successful my cabin. There was nary escape. Next thing, idiosyncratic was astatine my door, knocking loudly. It was astir 4.30am and inactive dark. There was a vessel to instrumentality maine to onshore with 2 men, his security, and a pistillate subordinate of staff.'

To her horror, the vessel that arrived to instrumentality her to enactment carried 'a replacement, a miss astir the aforesaid property arsenic me, pretty, with agelong blonde hair. We were being swapped, different miss to the slaughterhouse. I realised that Fayed was trafficking women for his twisted desires'.

Much happened down the scenes that she is inactive unsure astir today, but it is thought Mrs Thatcher intervened. And quality of the onslaught besides reached the Queen done a trusted intermediary.

Worried astir his daughter, Mr Price went to No10 to question assistance from Mrs Thatcher. 'He didn't mince his words, she says. 'He asked her, 'Help me, I can't find my daughter'. My begetter had been calling and calling Park Lane, with radical saying they couldn't find me. They lied for [Fayed].'

Melissa arrived astatine Heathrow with 2 of Fayed's information men. To her relief, her father's information on with Scotland Yard officers were waiting for her, and astatine location successful London, she was reunited with her distraught parents. 

Incredibly, the adjacent time Fayed began sending presents to the house, 'smoked salmon from his workplace successful Scotland, an costly ticker for my mother, letters that my parents refused to open'.

Melissa adds: 'My begetter wrote a missive for maine to motion stating that I wouldn't beryllium returning to my presumption with Fayed and for him not to interaction me. He insisted connected delivering backmost each the envelopes of currency he'd fixed maine and the gifts'.

Melissa and her begetter drove to Fayed's Mayfair headquarters. 'There were cameras astatine the beforehand and information guards who watched america instrumentality each of it extracurricular Fayed's apartments, says Melissa. 'We knew that would person wounded him.'

Months later, Mrs Thatcher hosted a luncheon for her. 'She was truthful kind. She's the loveliest, warmest person,' says Melissa, who present lives successful the US. 'I told her everything that happened including the things helium said helium wanted to bash to maine connected the boat. She was repulsed and angry.

'I would similar to accidental that is wherefore helium didn't get his passport.

'My parents knew however overmuch helium wanted his British passport. All my begetter could astir apt deliberation of doing to get him backmost was to marque definite helium didn't get his British citizenship. That is not thing fixed lightly, and should not beryllium fixed to idiosyncratic similar him.

Mr and Mrs Price had already disclosed Melissa's ordeal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan. She says Mrs Reagan was besides 'repulsed by what Fayed wanted to bash to me'.

For years, Melissa has tried unsuccessfully to erase the details of what happened from her memory. 

Certainly she ne'er intended to talk astir them until outpouring of this twelvemonth erstwhile she received a missive successful the station from British documentary shaper Keaton Stone, who by this clip had tracked down dozens of women crossed the satellite who had been sexually assaulted by Fayed. 

After 5 weeks, she decided to talk to Mr Stone to corroborate that she had been assaulted by Fayed.

Today, Melissa is 1 of astatine slightest 170 women who person joined a ineligible enactment launched by the Justice for Harrods Survivors team.

Melissa, present 57, adds: 'As with the different women from whom this monster besides stole truthful much, this occurrence has formed a agelong shadiness implicit each our lives. But I americium gladsome the information is yet emerging and that unneurotic we person a existent accidental to get justice.'

• Assistance for Fayed maltreatment survivors is disposable by contacting harrodssurvivors.com