UK: MICHAEL JACKSON IN SURPRISE VISIT WITH AL FAYED

Natural Sound

Thousands of shoppers at one of Britain's best-known stores were treated to a huge surprise on Saturday when superstar Michael Jackson arrived to look around.

Crowds of curious onlookers amassed outside the front entrance of London's Harrods, caught a glimpse of the pop legend, when he arrived with Harrod's owner, Mohammed Al-Fayed.

The pair then went to Al-Fayed's football team, Fulham, to watch Saturday afternoon's match.

There were gasps as none other than Michael Jackson stepped out of the green
vehicle to be escorted into the store by friend and store owner, Mohammed Al Fayed.

The king of pop and Mr Al Fayed had flown into London's Stansted Airport together on a private plane from New York in the early hours of the morning.

Jackson arrived for his store tour dressed from head to toe in a black embroidered suit, black boots and shoulder-length black hair, the only flash of colour the distinctive red and black armband on his right arm.

Appearing shy behind mirrored sunglasses, he nevertheless smiled broadly as he toured the ground floor with Mr Al Fayed.

Surrounded by a phalanx of security guards, the pair then made their way to the Egyptian escalator to visit the memorial to Dodi Fayed and Diana, Princess of Wales, situated in the store's basement.

Jackson said little during the visit but when the ever-growing tour party paused in the perfume department to listen to Rhian William playing a large gold harp, he walked over and personally requested she play Greensleeves.

Scenes in the store began to resemble the Pied Piper story as hundreds of fans formed a line snaking through the departments and Jackson occasionally waved as screams of "Michael, Michael" accompanied him wherever he went.

The tour party moved quickly up to other floors, spending a lot of time in the children's department on the fourth floor.

After both men had been embraced by one of the store's larger than life teddy bears, they made their way upstairs to the chairman's suite, where they prepared to leave for another pressing engagement.

Thousands of fans of Fulham Football Club, owned by Al-Fayed, gathered at the West London ground unaware that the most famous man in pop was about to join their ranks for Saturday afternoon's game against Wigan.

A brief walk around the pitch with Jackson wearing a Fulham supporters scarf, and then he and Al-Fayed settled down to watch the match.

Fulham beat Wigan 2-nil - an extra cause for celebration for Fulham supporters.
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