Latest news with #CafeDiana
The National
30-06-2025
- The National
London's Iraqi-run Princess Diana cafe faces closure over illegal workers
An Iraqi-run cafe dedicated to Princess Diana is facing closure after it was found to have been illegally employing migrants. Cafe Diana was opened in 1989 by the Iraqi -born entrepreneur Abdul Basit Daoud and is located near the late princess's residence, Kensington Palace. She became a regular customer, bringing her sons, princes William and Harry. Diana, who at the time was married to Prince Charles, could often be seen chatting with Mr Basit and waiters. 'She started coming more often, bringing the kids here sometimes for breakfast,' Mr Daoud recalled following Diana's death. 'She used to have cappuccino, cake, some croissants. But she sometimes had an English breakfast too.' The Home Office's Immigration Enforcement Team found a total of seven illegal workers there from 2019 to last year, with one worker found there twice. The cafe was fined £135,000 for illegally employing the Egyptian, Algerian and Albanian nationals, who had no right to work in the UK. One of the Egyptians came to Britain on a six-month business visa in January 2015 but stayed on and claimed asylum. He claimed to have been working for 'just under five months' and said his duties included 'making burgers and just helping in the kitchen in return for food', though he had also been caught working illegally during one of the previous raids. During a raid in 2020, one of the workers 'sat down at a table attempting to disguise himself as a customer' when he was spotted by immigration enforcement officers. An Algerian worker claimed she had only been employed at the cafe for a day and said no checks had been carried out. She admitted to having paid €5,000 to obtain fake work identification. The Home Office said in its report that 'workers admitted to being compensated with food instead of monetary payment, which raises concerns about labour exploitation taking place at the premises'. It goes on to say that 'it is clear to see that the premises licence holder along with management has failed to conduct mandatory employment checks in line with legal obligations to prevent illegal working'. In an interview with immigration officers, Mr Daoud admitted to owning the property but claimed he had been leasing the business to another person, but was unable to provide contact details for them. He said he had arrived at the cafe a short time before the immigration officers to regain ownership of the property, as the person had not been keeping up with the payment of rent. Immigration Enforcement has asked Kensington and Chelsea Council to revoke Café Diana's licence, which will be decided on Thursday. In a letter to the council, Cafe Diana's solicitors said: 'Our client is deeply regretting the circumstances that prompted this review and sincerely apologises for any inconvenience, disruption or concerns caused to the community, local authorities and stakeholders. 'Immediately upon becoming aware of the reported issues, our client undertook swift and decisive action by evicting the tenant responsible for the unauthorised activities, The Corporate Meeting and Event Service Ltd. 'This prompt response underscores our client's unwavering commitment to upholding licensing conditions and ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.' Mr Daoud has been approached for comment.
The Sun
29-06-2025
- The Sun
Cafe loved by Princess Diana named in her honour could lose licence after employing illegal migrants
A CAFE once loved by Princess Diana and named in her honour could lose its license after employing illegal migrants. The café also sometimes paid employees with food and was being unlawfully used to smoke shisha in a shocking find by police. 3 3 The Café Diana first opened its doors close to Kensington Palace, west London, in 1989. It became a favourite of the princess after it was named in her honour. Shortly before her death in 1997 she had sent a touching letter to the café's owner which said: 'I wanted to write personally, to thank you so very much for the beautiful flowers you sent for my birthday.' Abdul-Basit Daoud, the owner, fondly recalled how Diana first visited the café days after it opened. He said: "She started coming more often, bringing the kids here sometimes for breakfast. "The kids used to take breakfast, like English breakfast. "Herself, she used to have cappuccino, cake, some croissants, something like this but she sometimes had English breakfast too." Dozens of photographs of the princess adorn the walls, including one she herself had presented as a gift, as the cafe is now a popular tourist destination. But the Home Office has now applied for the establishment's license to be revoked. During four inspections between 2019 and 2024, seven illegal workers from Albania and Egypt were found. The basement was also being unlawfully used to smoke shisha. One migrant had been employed there for more than two years, according to an immigration enforcement report. Other workers said they received food instead of pay for their work. This "raised concerns about labour exploitation in the premises". Heartbreak for Harry & William as bodyguard who was with young princes when their mum Diana was killed in car crash dies One chef was found to have been "paid in food" and had arrived in the UK on a business visa that expired in 2015. Owner Daoud oversaw recruitment, checking the right-to-work and immigration status of new staff members. He told officers that staff were paid in cash and some received free food in return for working at the cafe. The inspectors report stated: 'Café Diana has been found employing illegal workers. "This business has clearly failed to meet the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety objectives.' As a result, the café was slapped with a £135,000 fine in April for illegally employing three migrants. Customers were also found to be smoking shisha in the basement during an enforcement visit in May with police and trading officers. They seized 45 unlabelled tubs of shisha tobacco. Lawyers for the café's owners said in a letter to the council: 'Immediately upon becoming aware of the reported issues, our client undertook swift and decisive action by evicting the tenant responsible for the unauthorised activities.' The café has now suggested suspending its license for three months. This is to ensure that "right-to-work" immigration checks are carried out on all staff members. 3
