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The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually. It has made many appearances in popular culture.

The structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the 140 metres (459 ft) Sun of Moscow in 2022, the 160 metres (525 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 165 metres (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008, the 167 metres (548 ft) High Roller ( Las Vegas) in 2014, and the 250 metres (820 ft) Ain Dubai in 2021. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike these taller examples, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel". The Eye offered the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 245-metre-high (804 ft) observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard in early 2013.

The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge beside County Hall, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The nearest tube station is Waterloo.

Design and construction

Supported by an A-frame on one side only, the Eye is described by its operators as a cantilevered observation wheel

The London Eye was designed by the husband-and-wife team of Julia Barfield and David Marks of Marks Barfield Architects.

Mace was responsible for construction management, with Hollandia as the main steelwork contractor and Tilbury Douglas as the civil contractor. Consulting engineers Tony Gee & Partners designed the foundation works while Beckett Rankine designed the marine works.

Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners assisted The Tussauds Group in obtaining planning and listed building consent to alter the wall on the South Bank of the Thames. They also examined and reported on the implications of a Section 106 agreement attached to the original contract, and also prepared planning and listed building consent applications for the permanent retention of the attraction, which involved the co-ordination of an Environmental Statement and the production of a planning supporting statement detailing the reasons for its retention.

The spindle, hub, and tensioned cables that support the rim

The rim of the Eye is supported by tensioned steel cables and resembles a huge spoked bicycle wheel. The lighting was re-done with LED lighting from Color Kinetics in December 2006 to allow digital control of the lights as opposed to the manual replacement of gels over fluorescent tubes.

The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was lifted into an upright position by a strand jack system made by Enerpac. It was first raised at 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees, then left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift. The project was European with major components coming from six countries: the steel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in The Netherlands by the Dutch company Hollandia, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany (FAG/Schaeffler Group), the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic, the capsules were made by Poma in France (and the glass for these came from Italy), and the electrical components from the UK.

The London Eye was originally intended as a temporary attraction, with a five-year lease. In December 2001, operators submitted an application to Lambeth Council to give the London Eye permanent status, and the application was granted in July 2002.

On 5 June 2008 it was announced that 30 million people had ridden the London Eye since it opened.

Passenger capsules

The wheel's 32 sealed and air-conditioned ovoidal passenger capsules, designed and supplied by Poma, are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and rotated by electric motors. The capsules are numbered from 1 to 33, excluding number 13 for superstitious reasons. Each of the 10-tonne (11-short-ton) capsules represents one of the London Boroughs, and holds up to 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is provided. The wheel rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.6 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes, giving a theoretical capacity of 1,600 passengers per hour. It does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.

In 2009 the first stage of a £12.5 million capsule upgrade began. Each capsule was taken down and floated down the river to Tilbury Docks in Essex.

Ownership and branding

London Eye at twilight

The Eye on the South Bank of the Thames, with Jubilee Gardens (left) and County Hall (right) in the background

Marks Barfield (the lead architects), The Tussauds Group, and British Airways were the original owners of the London Eye. Tussauds bought out British Airways' stake in 2005 and then Marks Barfield's stake in 2006 to become sole owner.

In May 2007, the Blackstone Group purchased The Tussauds Group which was then the owner of the Eye; Tussauds was merged with Blackstone's Merlin Entertainments and disappeared as an entity. British Airways continued its brand association, but from the beginning of 2008 the name British Airways was dropped from the logo.

On 12 August 2009, the London Eye saw another rebrand, this time being called "The Merlin Entertainments London Eye". A refurbished ticket hall and 4D cinema experience were designed by architect Kay Elliott working with project designer Craig Sciba, and Simex-Iwerks as the 4D theatre hardware specialists. The film was written and directed by Julian Napier and produced by Phil Streather.

In February 2020, lastminute.com replaced Coca-Cola as the sponsor. Grammy Award-winning singer Meghan Trainor performed at the launch party on a boat overlooking the London Eye.

In March 2020, the wheel was illuminated blue every Thursday at 8pm in support of the National Health Service as part of the ' Clap for our Carers' campaign created during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Financial difficulties

Colourful London Eye near County Hall

On 25 May 2005, London mayor Ken Livingstone vowed that the landmark would remain in London. He also pledged that if the dispute was not resolved he would use his powers to ask the London Development Agency to issue a compulsory purchase order. The land in question is a small part of the Jubilee Gardens, which was given to the SBC for £1 when the Greater London Council was broken up.

The South Bank Centre and the British Airways London Eye agreed on a 25-year lease on 8 February 2006 after a judicial review over the rent dispute. The lease agreement meant that the South Bank Centre, a publicly funded charity, would receive at least £500,000 a year from the attraction, the status of which is secured for the foreseeable future. Tussauds also announced the acquisition of the entire one-third interests of British Airways and Marks Barfield in the Eye as well as the outstanding debt to BA. These agreements gave Tussauds 100% ownership and resolved the debt from the Eye's construction loan from British Airways, which stood at more than £150 million by mid-2005 and had been charging an interest rate of 25% per annum.

Critical reception

London Eye as a boat passes on the River Thames, with Big Ben in the background

Sir Richard Rogers, winner of the 2007 Pritzker Architecture Prize, wrote of the London Eye in a book about the project:

The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just specialists or rich people, but everybody. That's the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.

Big City Review wrote that:

If you're an amateur or professional photographer, the London Eye delivers the chance to get breathtaking photos of the city of London. The ride moves so slow which enables one to have ample opportunity to shoot photos and video from all angles. When your [sic] done shooting your photos, the ride's slow speed lets you just sit back and take in the incredible views of London. From the time your carriage reaches the highest point your breath will have been take away. That is why the London Eye is worth visiting.

Transport links

The nearest London Underground station is Waterloo, although Charing Cross, Embankment, and Westminster are also within easy walking distance.

Connection with National Rail services is made at London Waterloo station and London Waterloo East station.

London River Services operated by Thames Clippers and City Cruises stop at the London Eye Pier.

References

External links

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The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually. It has made many appearances in popular culture.

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Your journey to the top

Located moments from London Bridge station, your journey up starts with an extraordinary high-speed lift that carries you from Level 1 to Level 68 in sixty seconds. Once there, enjoy spectacular panoramic views of the capital from the Level 69 observation deck where you'll find a Champagne bar offering a variety of drinks and a small selection of light bites. Continue up to the open-air sky deck on Level 72, where exposed to the elements you can take in the atmosphere and sounds of the city below.

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The View from The Shard | Top London Tourist Attraction

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Welcome to The View from The Shard - London's top-rated tourist attraction! Come & enjoy the best of London in the 360 degree panoramic view. Book Now!

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Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath with Pub Lunch in Lacock

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Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and Bath with Pub Lunch in Lacock

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WINDSOR, STONEHENGE & BATH TOUR WITH LUNCH AT LACOCK

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath day tour from London with pub lunch at Lacock
Pub meal only from £99

Stonehenge entrance & pub meal from £132

Stonehenge, Windsor Castle entrances & pub meal from £159

* Choose your flexible ticket to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Lacock * Lunch at 14th century classic country pub George Inn in Lacock * Panoramic tour of Bath * Professional guide * Luxury air-conditioned coach with free Wi-Fi

This tour gives options to enter Windsor Castle or not. If you choose not the enter the castle the tour runs daily.

For those who wish to visit the castle the tour runs 5 days a week: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun, as Windsor Castle is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

7.45am - departs from London Victoria Coach Station

9.00pm - returns to London Gloucester Road underground station

On all departures the morning is spent visiting Windsor Castle, the favourite residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Afterwards the order of visits to Lacock, Stonehenge and Georgian Bath differ according to season. In summer it is light enough in the evening to visit Stonehenge as the last stop, not an option in winter.

Victoria Coach Station - tour start

Your tour will begin at Victoria Coach Station, one of the major transport hubs in central London and very close to Victoria Underground and Railway Station. Tour companies are no longer allowed to perform pick-ups at hotels for public day tours.

There are no advance seat reservations on-board, you select your seat on boarding from those available.

Victoria Coach Station is like a small airport with airport style departure screens where your tour will be displayed together with a gate number.

The driver or guide will check you in on boarding the coach.

Usually all that is required is the lead passenger's name and you will be checked off the passenger list, but do bring along your tour confirmation voucher.

If you require more assistance working out your journey, click through on the link below, where we give more detail of how to join the tour at Victoria Coach Station and you can find previously asked questions.
How to get to Victoria Coach Station & map with previously asked questions
Gloucester Road Underground Station - tour finish

The tour ends opposite Gloucester Road Underground Station in Kensington.

The touring coach

A professional guide is aboard the luxury air-conditioned touring bus the entire day and will provide commentary and guiding throughout as well as looking after entrance into the various attractions.

Commentary is in English only.

All vehicles are equipped with on-board free Wi-Fi and most will have toilet facilities. However these facilities cannot be guaranteed.

Every tour is different. There are a multitude of things to see and experience on each of the tours out of London we offer.

Read below to discover the key destinations and features of your tour.

A professional guide is aboard the luxury air-conditioned touring bus the entire day and will provide commentary and guiding throughout.

The first stop is the beautiful town of Windsor where you can enter the famous castle or not, according to which ticket you book.

Windsor Castle

During your time aboard your luxury coach you guide will tell you a little about Windsor as well as the castle and its history.

Windsor Castle opens at 9.30am so the tour group will be some of the first to enter the castle that day through the special tour group entrance.

From William the Conqueror all the way through to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, successive monarchs have lived here and left their mark on what is now the largest continuously occupied castle in the world.

At St George's Chapel you will see the last resting place of Henry VIII and Charles I. The State Apartments are host to a wonderful gallery of world famous art by the likes of Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.

There is also Queen Mary's Dolls' House; a perfectly scaled replica of an aristocratic home.

Enjoy the views from the battlements across the Thames valley as you wander through lavishly furnished rooms. You will be given your own personal audio guide in a choice of languages, to uncover the stories from this most famous of ancient castles.
Windsor Castle - find out more
Should you choose not to enter the castle you can enjoy the delights of the town.
Windsor is a pretty town full of traditional shops and historic pubs. Immediately outside the castle is the Old Town with its cobbled streets.
Windsor town - find out more

Lacock, your lunch stop, is an old National Trust village located in the heart of the West Country. So picturesque are the tiny cobbled streets, ancient cottages and meandering rivers, that the village has been the setting for numerous period dramas and movies including, most recently, Harry Potter.

We enjoy the George Inn, a 14th century pub, with medieval fire and dog-wheel, showing how meat would have been cooked traditionally, on a spit, turned by the wheel using specially bred dogs called Turnspit.

There is also a gallery of pictures from the film sessions, with local press articles about it and photos of some of the celebrities that have visited. Here a delicious home-cooked meal is included in the price.
Lacock - find out more

Bath is a beautiful historic city with delightful crescents, terraces and architecture.

It is most famous for the Roman Baths, founded on Britain's only natural warm spring nearly 2000 years ago. If you would like to visit the Roman Baths, we would strongly recommend you book the alternative Windsor, Stonehenge and Roman Baths at Bath tour.

Tickets for the Roman Baths are not included in the price of this tour.

Bath is renowned for its architecture; there is Bath Abbey, where pilgrims have visited for hundreds of years, to see the magnificent architecture, or for a moment of quiet contemplation. Pulteney Bridge - modeled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence - with the river Avon cascading over the weir, is also a great place to visit. Other places of interest include the Assembly Rooms built in 1771 and the Jane Austen Centre, a must see for Austen lovers.

Bath is a regional shopping centre and university town, you can shop, explore and take afternoon tea in the Pump Rooms while listening to the live classical music. You will be spoilt for choice in Bath, there is so much to see and do. There is truly something for everyone.
Bath - find out more

Stonehenge, one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world, and a World Heritage Site. This ancient Neolithic site, over 5,000 years old offers a fascinating glimpse into our ancestors' past. The ring of stones still poses many archaeological and historical questions for academics and visitors alike.

You will get to see the long path, with raised banks and ditches, known as the 'avenue'; a processional route stretching about three miles or two kilometres, marking the the entrance to Stonehenge. From this point you can learn about how our ancestors understood the turning of the year, and the importance of aligning with the sun.

A comprehensive audio tour is available to download in advance (English version only), by searching for the 'Stonehenge Audio Tour' in your App store. The app will explain in detail each part of the stones at Stonehenge to fully bring to life the magnificent megalith in front of you.
Stonehenge - find out more

Prices displayed on the banner link are a special online discounted price, deep discounted from the price in London.

Major credit and debit cards are accepted. You will be emailed a confirmation with a booking reference after reservation. The booking reference and the name of the person ordering is all that you need to quote when joining the tour, there are no paper tickets.

On the tour detail page loaded from the banner link below, there is a red "Book this Tour" button at the top right of the page, which when selected displays a calendar depicting which dates still have availability. By selecting your required date you start the reservation process.

WINDSOR, STONEHENGE & BATH TOUR WITH LUNCH AT LACOCK

Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Bath day tour from London with pub lunch at Lacock
Pub meal only from £99

Stonehenge entrance & pub meal from £132

Stonehenge, Windsor Castle entrances & pub meal from £159

* Choose your flexible ticket to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Lacock * Lunch at 14th century classic country pub George Inn in Lacock * Panoramic tour of Bath * Professional guide * Luxury air-conditioned coach with free Wi-Fi

WINDSOR CASTLE, STONEHENGE & BATH TOUR

Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath guided day tour from London
Stonehenge entrance only £92

Stonehenge & Windsor Castle entrances £114

Stonehenge, Windsor Castle & Roman Baths entrances £143

* Choose your flexible ticket to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge & Roman Baths * Professional guide * Luxury air-conditioned coach with free Wi-Fi

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Windsor, Stonehenge & Bath tour from London + pub lunch

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From just £99 pp: guided day tour includes entrance to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge with pub lunch at one of England's oldest village taverns plus Georgian Bath, runs 3-5 times per week

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Seen from across the River Thames with Westminster Bridge in the foreground

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LONDON SKY GARDEN - London's Highest Public Garden with stunning sunset and skyline views 🌇

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Harrods is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is owned by Harrods Ltd, a company currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies, including Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air Harrods.

The store occupies a 5-acre (2 ha) site and has 330 departments covering 1.1 million sq ft (100,000 m ²) of retail space. It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world.

The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, which is Latin for "all things for all people, everywhere". Several of its departments, including the Seasonal Christmas department and the Food Halls, are well known.

Harrods was also a founder of the International Association of Department Stores in 1928, which is still active today, and remained a member until 1935. Franck Chitham, Harrods' president at the time, was president of the Association in 1930.

In 1824, at the age of 25, Charles Henry Harrod established a business at 228 Borough High Street in Southwark. He ran this business, variously listed as a draper, mercer, and a haberdasher, until at least 1831. During 1825, the business was listed as 'Harrod and Wicking, Linen Drapers, Retail', but this partnership was dissolved at the end of that year. His first grocery business appears to be as 'Harrod & Co. Grocers' at 163 Upper Whitecross Street, Clerkenwell, E.C.1., in 1832.

Share of the Harrod's Stores Ltd., issued 7 August 1903

Back of a share from 1903

In 1834, in London's East End, he established a wholesale grocery in Stepney at 4 Cable Street with a special interest in tea. Attempting to capitalise on trade during the Great Exhibition of 1851 in nearby Hyde Park, in 1849 Harrod took over a small shop in the district of Brompton, on the site of the current store. Beginning in a single room employing two assistants and a messenger boy, Harrod's son Charles Digby Harrod built the business into a thriving retail operation selling medicines, perfumes, stationery, fruits and vegetables. Harrods rapidly expanded, acquired the adjoining buildings, and employed one hundred people by 1881.

However, the store's booming fortunes were reversed in early December 1883, when it burnt to the ground. Remarkably, Charles Harrod fulfilled all of his commitments to his customers to make Christmas deliveries that year-and made a record profit in the process. In short order, a new building was built on the same site, and soon Harrods extended credit for the first time to its best customers, among them Oscar Wilde, Lillie Langtry, Ellen Terry, Charlie Chaplin, Noël Coward, Gertrude Lawrence, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, Sigmund Freud, A. A. Milne, and many members of the British Royal Family. Beatrix Potter frequented the store from the age of 17. First published in 1902, her children's book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was soon on sale in Harrods, accompanied by the world's first licensed character, a Peter Rabbit soft toy (Peter and toys of other Potter characters appeared in Harrods catalogues from 1910). In 1921, Milne bought the 18-inch Alpha Farnell teddy bear from the store for his son Christopher Robin Milne who would name it Edward, then Winnie, becoming the basis for Winnie-the-Pooh.

Fashion plate of 1909 showing Londoners walking in front of Harrods

A chance meeting in London with businessman, Edgar Cohen, eventually led to Charles Harrod selling his interest in the store for £120,000 (equivalent to £14,110,759 in 2021) via a stock market flotation in 1889. The new company was called Harrod's Stores Limited. Sir Alfred James Newton became chairman and Richard Burbidge managing director. Financier William Mendel was appointed to the board in 1891 and he raised funding for many of the business expansion plans. Richard Burbidge was succeeded in 1917 by his son Woodman Burbidge and he in turn by his son Richard in 1935.

On 16 November 1898, Harrods debuted England's first "moving staircase" ( escalator) in their Brompton Road stores; the device was actually a woven leather conveyor belt-like unit with a mahogany and "silver plate-glass" balustrade. Nervous customers were offered brandy at the top to revive them after their 'ordeal'.

The department store was acquired by House of Fraser in 1959, which in turn was purchased by the Fayed brothers in 1985. In 1994, Harrods was moved out of the House of Fraser Group to remain a private company prior to the group's relisting on the London Stock Exchange.

Qatar Holdings ownership

The Harrods building frontage at night

Following denial that it was for sale, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar in May 2010. A fortnight previously, chairman of Harrods since 1985, Mohamed Al-Fayed, had stated that "People approach us from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar. Fair enough. But I put two fingers up to them. It is not for sale. This is not Marks and Spencer or Sainsbury's. It is a special place that gives people pleasure. There is only one Mecca."

The sale was concluded in the early hours of 8 May, when Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani came to London to finalise the deal, saying that the acquisition of Harrods would add "much value" to the investment portfolio of Qatar Holdings while his deputy, Hussain Ali Al-Abdulla, called it a "landmark transaction". A spokesman for Mohamed Al-Fayed said "in reaching the decision to retire, [Fayed] wished to ensure that the legacy and traditions that he has built up in Harrods would be continued."

Al-Fayed later revealed in an interview that he decided to sell Harrods following the difficulty in getting his dividend approved by the trustee of the Harrods pension fund. Al-Fayed said "I'm here every day, I can't take my profit because I have to take a permission of those bloody idiots. I say is this right? Is this logic? Somebody like me? I run a business and I need to take the trustee's permission to take my profit." Al-Fayed was appointed honorary chairman of Harrods, a position he held for six months.

With the previously operating Disney Cafe and Disney Store, the Disney at Harrods partnership added the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique salon on 25 November 2013 to those stores.

Significant event timeline

Harrods Furniture Depository in Barnes, London

1834: Charles Henry Harrod founds a wholesale grocery in Stepney, East London.[15]

1883: On 6 December, fire guts the shop buildings, giving the family the opportunity to rebuild on a grander scale.[18]

1889: Charles Digby Harrod retires, and Harrods shares are floated on the London Stock Exchange under the name Harrod's Stores Limited.[18]

1905: Begun in 1894, the present building is completed to the design of architect Charles William Stephens.

1914: Harrods Furniture Depository built in Barnes, near Hammersmith Bridge.

1920: Harrods buys London department store Swan & Edgar and Manchester retailer Walter Carter Ltd.[18]

1923: Mah-Jongg (lemur) was sold to Stephen Courtauld and Virginia Courtauld (née Peirano). Mah-Jongg lived with the Courtaulds for fifteen years, accompanying the couple on their travels and changes of residence, including Eltham Palace in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

1959: The British department store holding company House of Fraser buys Harrods, fighting off competition from Debenhams and United Drapery Stores.

1969: Christian the lion was bought at Harrods by John Rendall and Anthony 'Ace' Bourke. The lion was set free in Kenya after reaching maturity.

1983: A terrorist attack by the Provisional IRA outside the Brompton store kills six people.

1985: The Fayed brothers buy House of Fraser, including Harrods Store, for £615 million.[25]

1986: The small town of Otorohanga in New Zealand briefly changes its name to Harrodsville in response to legal threats made by Mohamed Al-Fayed against a person with the surname of Harrod, who had used the name "Harrod's" for his shop.

1990: A Harrods shop opens on board the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, which was then owned by the Walt Disney Company. Harrods gives right to Duty Free International for a licence to operate a Harrods Signature Shop at Toronto Pearson International Airport's Terminal 3 (closed shortly after)[30]

1993: An IRA terrorist attack injures four people.

1994: The relationship between House of Fraser and Harrods is severed. Harrods remains under the ownership of the Fayed family, and House of Fraser is floated on the stock exchange.

1997: An English court issued an injunction to restrain the Buenos Aires Harrods store from trading under the Harrods name, but the House of Lords in 1998 dismissed Fayed's lawsuit.[29]

1998: The store on Buenos Aires closed after racking up large amounts of debt, there had been offers to buy the store from Falabella, El Corte Inglés, Printemps and more but Atilio Gilbertoni the owner of Harrods in Buenos Aires did not accept the offers as he wanted to keep the controlling stake in the brand[31]

2000: A Harrods shop opens on board the Queen Elizabeth 2, owned by the Cunard Line.

2006: The Harrods "102" shop opens opposite the main shop in Brompton Road; it features concessions like Krispy Kreme and Yo! Sushi, as well as florists, a herbalist, a masseur, and an oxygen spa. The store closed in 2013.

2006: Omar Fayed, Mohamed's youngest son, joins the Harrods board.[32]

2010: Fayed announces he has sold Harrods to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). It has been reported that the QIA paid £1.5 billion for the Knightsbridge store, in a deal signed in the early hours of 8 May 2010.[25]

2012: The figurative sculptures that once adorned the Harrods food hall are consigned for sale at West Middlesex Auction Rooms. The two Mermaids supporting a giant Clam and the Stag and Boar sheltering under an English Oak are purchased by Greaves & Thomas for inclusion in an elaborate fountain for Ryde, Isle of Wight.

The Egyptian-style clothing department at Harrods

The shop's 330 departments offer a wide range of products and services. Products on offer include clothing for women, men, children and infants, electronics, jewellery, sporting gear, bridal trousseau, pet accessories, toys (including Christmas and signature teddy bears), food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more.

Gentlemen's lavatory in Harrods.

A representative sample of shop services includes 23 restaurants, serving everything from high tea to tapas to pub food to haute cuisine; a personal shopping-assistance programme known as "By Appointment"; a watch repair service; a tailor; a dispensing pharmacy; a beauty spa and salon; a barbers shop; Ella Jade Bathroom Planning and Design Service; private events planning and catering; food delivery; a wine steward; bespoke picnic hampers and gift boxes; bespoke cakes; bespoke fragrance formulations; and Bespoke Arcades machines.

Up to 300,000 customers visit the shop on peak days, comprising the highest proportion of customers from non-English speaking countries of any department store in London. More than five thousand staff from over fifty different countries work at Harrods.

In October 2009, Harrods Bank started selling gold bars and coins that customers could buy "off the shelf". The gold products ranged from 1 g to 12.5 kg, and could be purchased within Harrods Bank. They also offered storage services, as well as the ability to sell back gold to Harrods in the future.

Harrods used to provide paid "luggage room" services for storing luggage/ items however post COVID they stopped providing this service.

Harrods was the holder of royal warrants from:

In August 2010, in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed revealed that he had burnt Harrods royal warrants, after taking them down in 2000. Harrods had held the Royal warrants since 1910. Describing the warrants as a "curse", Al-Fayed claimed that business had tripled since their removal. Prince Philip removed his warrant in January 2000, and the other warrants were removed from Harrods by Al-Fayed in December, pending their five-yearly review. Prince Philip had been banned from Harrods by Al-Fayed. Film of the burning of the warrants in 2009 was shown in the final scene of Unlawful Killing, a film funded by Al-Fayed and directed by Keith Allen.

Innocent Victims, Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed memorial at Harrods

Since the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed, Mohamed Al-Fayed's son, two memorials to the couple commissioned by Al-Fayed have been erected inside Harrods. The first, located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator, was unveiled on 12 April 1998, consisting of photographs of the two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner as well as what is described as an engagement ring Dodi purchased the day before they died.

The second memorial, unveiled in 2005 and located by the escalator at door three is entitled Innocent Victims, a bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross, a bird said to symbolise the "Holy Spirit". The sculpture was created by William Mitchell, a close friend of Al-Fayed and artistic design advisor to Harrods for 40 years. Al-Fayed said he wanted to keep the pair's "spirit alive" through the statue.

After the death of Michael Jackson, Al-Fayed announced that they had already been discussing plans to build a memorial statue. This was unveiled in April 2011 at the rear of Craven Cottage football ground ( Fulham F.C.) but removed in September 2013 on the orders of new club owner Shahid Khan.

In 1989, Harrods introduced a dress code for customers. The store turns away people whose dress is not in compliance with the code. Forbidden items include cycling shorts; high-cut shorts, Bermuda or beach shorts; swimwear; athletic singlets; flip flops or thong sandals; bare feet; bare midriff; or wearing dirty or unkempt clothing. Patrons found not in compliance with the code and barred from entry include pop star Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Luke Goss, a Scout troop, a woman with a Mohican hair cut, and the entire first team from FC Shakhtar Donetsk who were wearing tracksuits.

The store occupies a 5-acre (20,000 m ²) site and has over one million square feet () of selling space in over 330 departments making it the biggest department store in Europe. The UK's second-biggest shop, Selfridges, Oxford Street, is a little over half the size with 540,000 square feet (50,000 m ²) of selling space. By comparison Europe's second-largest department store the KaDeWe in Berlin has a retail space of 650,000 square feet (60,000 m ²).

This article's Criticism or Controversy section may compromise the article's neutrality by separating out potentially negative information. Please integrate the section's contents into the article as a whole, or rewrite the material.

Harrods and Mohamed Al-Fayed were criticised for selling real animal fur, provoking regular protests organised outside Harrods. Harrods is the only department store in Britain that has continued to sell fur. Harrods was sharply criticised in 2004 by the Hindu community for marketing a line of feminine underwear (designed by Roberto Cavalli) which featured the images of Indian goddesses. The line was eventually withdrawn and formal apologies were made.

Harrods has been criticised by Guardian journalist Sali Hughes as "deeply sexist" for making female employees wear six kinds of makeup at all times without requiring this of male employees. Harrods was criticised by members of the Black community after the Daily Telegraph reported that Harrods staff told a black woman that she would not be employed unless she chemically straightened her hair, stating that her natural hair style was "unprofessional".

Harrods' restaurants and cafes included a 12.5% discretionary service charge on customers' bills, but failed to share the full proceeds with kitchen and service staff. Several employees joined the UVW union, which claimed that 483 affected employees were losing up to £5,000 each in tips every year. A surprise protest and roadblock organised by the union outside Harrods during the January sales of 2017 was followed by an announcement that "an improved tronc system" would give 100% of service charges to staff.

In 1986, the town of Otorohanga, New Zealand, briefly changed its name to "Harrodsville". This was a protest in support of a restaurateur, Henry Harrod of Palmerston North, who was being forced to change the name of his restaurant following the threat of lawsuits from Mohamed Al Fayed, the then owner of Harrods department store. As a show of solidarity for Henry Harrod, and in anticipation of actions against other similar-sounding businesses, it was proposed that every business in Otorohanga change its name to "Harrods". With the support of the District Council, Otorohanga temporarily changed the town's name to Harrodsville. After being lampooned in the British tabloids, Al Fayed dropped the legal action and Harrodsville and its shops reverted to their former names. The town's response raised widespread media interest around the world, with the BBC World Service and newspapers in Greece, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Canada covering the story.

On 27 October 2008, in the case of Harrods Ltd v. Harrods Limousine Ltd, the Harrods store applied to the Company Names Tribunal under s.69(1)(b) Companies Act 2006 for a change of name of Harrods Limousine Ltd, which had been registered at Companies House since 14 November 2007. The application went un-defended by the respondent and the adjudicator ordered on 16 January 2009 that Harrods Limousine Ltd must change their name within one month. Additionally the respondent was ordered not to cause or permit any steps to be taken to register another company with an offending name which could interfere, due to its similarity, with the goodwill of the applicant. Finally, Harrods Limousine Ltd was ordered to pay Harrods' costs for the litigation.

Asma al-Assad, the wife of the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, used an alias to shop at Harrods despite economic sanctions imposed by the European Union that froze funds belonging to her and her husband.

Chris Bennett and Colin Cameron (7 February 2000). Behind the Scenes at Harrods. Andre Deutsch. ISBN 0-233-99617-6.

Tim Dale (November 1986). Harrods: The Store and the Legend. Pan. ISBN 0-330-29800-3.

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Harrods is a department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is owned by Harrods Ltd, a company currently owned by the state of Qatar via its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies, including Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air Harrods.

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English - London sightseeing (A1-A2 - with subtitles)