Susanne Gregard is best known as the only woman ever married to Dodi Fayed, the Egyptian film producer who later became famous around the world because of his relationship with Princess Diana. But Susanne had her own life before and after that short marriage. She worked as a model and actress, later became a photographer and mixed-media artist, remarried, and built a much quieter family life in Los Angeles.
Susanne and Dodi married at the end of 1986 after a fast-moving romance. Their marriage lasted only about eight months before ending in 1987. Years later, Susanne spoke about Dodi with warmth rather than bitterness, remembering him as romantic, funny, and thoughtful.
Today, she is better known professionally as Susanne Quilici and works with photography and mixed-media art, especially floral images created underwater. Her current art profile identifies her as a Los Angeles-based artist and photographer.
Who Is Susanne Gregard?
Susanne Gregard is an American former model and actress who later became a visual artist and photographer.
She is remembered most widely because she married Dodi Fayed, the son of billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Dodi later became internationally famous because of his brief 1997 relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales.
But Susanne knew him more than a decade before that.
Their relationship belonged to a very different period of his life, when he was already wealthy and socially connected but had not yet become part of one of the most heavily covered royal stories of the 1990s.
IMDb identifies Susanne as Dodi Fayed’s former wife and lists their marriage from December 31, 1986 until 1987.
When Was Susanne Gregard Born?
Susanne’s exact birth date is reported differently by secondary sources.
Some modern profiles list her birthday as April 1, 1960, while other public-record-style sources suggest a date in late March 1960.
Because those dates conflict slightly, it is safer to say she was born around 1960.
That would make her about 66 years old in 2026.
The strongest older reporting gives another useful clue: Vanity Fair said Susanne was 26 years old when she met Dodi.
That fits a birth year around 1960.
Was Her Name Susanne or Suzanne Gregard?
Both spellings appear in published sources.
IMDb uses Susanne Gregard.
Vanity Fair used Suzanne Gregard in its 1997 profile of Dodi.
Other modern articles also alternate between the two.
Her current professional identity, however, is Susanne Quilici.
That is the name used on her official art website and photography profiles.
For clarity, this article uses Susanne Gregard because that is the spelling most commonly associated with her personal biography today.
What Did Susanne Gregard Do Before Meeting Dodi Fayed?
Susanne worked as a model.
That is the career most strongly connected with her early life.
Vanity Fair described her as a 26-year-old model when Dodi met her.
She was also involved in acting.
IMDb credits Susanne with Key Exchange and Star Search.
The acting work appears to have been limited rather than the start of a large Hollywood career.
Her modeling career, by contrast, was clearly important during the period when she met Dodi.
How Did Susanne Gregard Meet Dodi Fayed?
Their romance began in the mid-1980s.
Vanity Fair reported that Dodi met Susanne when she was 26 and pursued her very intensely.
His courtship was not subtle.
Dodi reportedly flew her from the United States to London on Concorde for weekend visits.
He sometimes even bought the seat beside her so she could travel without being disturbed.
When Susanne resisted spending two weeks in England, he reportedly arranged modeling work for her at Harrods, the luxury department store owned by his father.
That allowed him to keep her in London for longer while still giving her professional work.
A natural related article would be Dodi Fayed’s life before Princess Diana and his years as a film producer.
Was Dodi Fayed Serious About Susanne?
Yes.
People around them remembered Dodi as deeply interested in Susanne.
Vanity Fair quoted her brother Ken saying Dodi “worshiped” her and was extremely affectionate.
His courtship also matched Dodi’s broader reputation for grand gestures.
He came from extraordinary wealth.
His father Mohamed Al-Fayed owned Harrods and the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Dodi grew up around luxury, expensive travel, private security, exclusive restaurants, and international social circles.
For Susanne, that meant dating him came with a lifestyle very different from an ordinary relationship.
When Did Dodi Fayed Propose?
Dodi proposed near the end of 1986.
Vanity Fair reported that he decided only days before New Year’s Eve that he wanted to marry Susanne.
The proposal reflected Dodi’s impulsive personality.
Their engagement was not followed by a long year of wedding planning.
Instead, they married almost immediately.
That quick decision became one of the defining features of their relationship.
When Did Susanne Gregard Marry Dodi Fayed?
Susanne and Dodi married on December 31, 1986, according to IMDb and several biographical records.
Some broader sources simply describe the marriage as taking place in 1987.
The official British Operation Paget report, which later examined the circumstances surrounding Diana and Dodi’s deaths, described Dodi as having married American model Suzanne Gregard in 1987 for about eight months.
The difference is mainly one of timing.
A wedding on December 31, 1986 naturally makes the relationship appear in some records as a 1986 marriage and in others as a 1987 marriage.
Did They Sign a Prenuptial Agreement?
Apparently not.
Susanne told Vanity Fair that lawyers were calling repeatedly on their wedding day about a prenuptial agreement.
But she said one was never signed.
According to her, Dodi considered a prenup unromantic and trusted her.
That detail says a lot about the speed and emotional intensity of the marriage.
For a member of an extremely wealthy family, getting married without completing a prenup was an unusual decision.
It also fits Susanne’s later description of Dodi as impulsive and romantic.
Where Did Susanne and Dodi Live After the Wedding?
After a honeymoon in Malibu, the couple settled in Manhattan.
Vanity Fair reported that they rented an expensive townhouse on East 62nd Street in New York.
Susanne reportedly wanted to stay in New York because she wanted to continue modeling.
This became important.
She did not simply give up her career and follow Dodi everywhere.
She wanted to maintain her own work.
That independence may have made the marriage more difficult once Dodi’s constant travel resumed.
Why Did Susanne Gregard and Dodi Fayed Divorce?
Their marriage lasted only about eight months.
Susanne later said that distance became a major problem.
She had modeling work.
Dodi traveled frequently.
She was not able to follow him everywhere.
She also disliked the constant security.
Dodi’s wealth and family status meant bodyguards were often nearby.
Susanne later explained that they were rarely alone.
The Guardian repeated the same point years later, noting that Susanne had described constant bodyguards as one of the problems in their marriage.
That detail helps explain why the relationship may have felt less romantic after marriage than during courtship.
Who Ended the Marriage?
Susanne later acknowledged that she initiated the divorce.
Vanity Fair reported that Dodi tried to reconcile with her after the split.
This matters because the breakup was not described as Dodi casually abandoning her.
The marriage had simply become difficult.
Their lifestyles were different.
Susanne wanted independence and a more normal rhythm.
Dodi lived in a world built around travel, wealth, security, and constant movement.
Those differences eventually became too large.
Was the Divorce Bitter?
Apparently not.
Susanne later spoke about Dodi in a surprisingly affectionate way.
She remembered him as romantic and thoughtful.
She also described his sense of humor.
One story involved a candlelit dinner Dodi arranged.
The table collapsed, the turkey fell to the floor, and instead of becoming angry, they both laughed. That memory stayed with her years later.
That kind of story suggests the divorce did not erase the positive memories.
Their marriage failed.
But Susanne did not publicly rewrite Dodi as a monster afterward.
Did Susanne Gregard and Dodi Fayed Have Children?
No.
There are no children documented from their marriage.
Modern profiles and historical accounts agree that Susanne and Dodi did not have children together.
Their short marriage ended before they built a family.
This is important because later online family trees sometimes mix different relationships from Dodi’s life together.
Susanne was his wife.
But she was not the mother of any publicly known child of his.
Was Susanne Dodi Fayed’s Only Wife?
Yes.
Susanne Gregard was Dodi Fayed’s only legal wife.
He had other relationships before and after her, but none became another marriage before his death.
Biography.com identifies Susanne as his spouse and places their marriage in the 1986–1987 period.
This makes her unique in his personal history.
She was not simply another girlfriend.
She was the one woman Dodi actually married.
Who Was Dodi Fayed?
Dodi’s full name was Emad El-Din Mohamed Abdel Moneim Fayed.
He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1955.
His father was Mohamed Al-Fayed.
His mother was Samira Khashoggi.
He studied at schools including Institut Le Rosey and later spent time at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.
Dodi eventually became involved in film production.
His credits included work connected with Chariots of Fire, F/X, F/X2, and Hook.
His family wealth gave him access to extraordinary luxury.
But it also meant that public attention and security followed him constantly.
What Happened After Susanne Divorced Dodi?
Dodi continued living a highly public social life.
He was linked with several women over the years.
By 1997, he was involved with model Kelly Fisher.
The official Operation Paget report said Kelly and Dodi became engaged and were planning to marry in August 1997.
That plan never happened.
During the summer of 1997, Dodi became involved with Diana, Princess of Wales.
Their relationship quickly became international news.
The paparazzi followed them constantly.
Did Susanne Ever Comment on Princess Diana?
Susanne was interviewed about Dodi around the time of his death.
What stands out is that she focused mostly on who Dodi had been as a person rather than trying to make herself part of the Diana story.
She remembered him positively.
She described him as romantic, thoughtful, and lighthearted.
This suggests she did not use the tragedy to create a new celebrity identity for herself.
She could easily have become a permanent television commentator.
Instead, she largely returned to private life.
How Did Dodi Fayed Die?
Dodi died on August 31, 1997, in Paris.
He was traveling in a Mercedes with Diana, Princess of Wales, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, and driver Henri Paul.
The car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
Dodi and Henri Paul died at the scene.
Diana later died in hospital.
Dodi was 42.
The accident became one of the most heavily examined celebrity and royal tragedies of the modern era.
A useful internal-link opportunity would be Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana’s final summer together in 1997.
Did Susanne Remarry?
Yes.
After divorcing Dodi, Susanne later married Philippe Quilici.
Modern reporting says they married on May 22, 1992.
Philippe is a surgeon.
The marriage gave Susanne a much more stable and private family life than the one she experienced with Dodi.
Recent profiles continue to identify them as married.
Does Susanne Gregard Have Children?
Recent secondary profiles say Susanne and Philippe Quilici have two sons.
Because Susanne keeps her family relatively private, detailed information about the sons is not widely covered in mainstream entertainment reporting.
That privacy should be respected.
What matters is that Susanne’s later marriage appears to have lasted for decades.
That is a striking contrast with her eight-month marriage to Dodi.
What Does Susanne Gregard Do Today?
Susanne now works as an artist and photographer under the name Susanne Quilici.
Her official website says she is a mixed-media artist and photographer living and working in Los Angeles.
She focuses heavily on flowers and the natural world.
Her photography explores color, movement, form, and different stages of a flower’s life.
That includes fresh flowers as well as flowers that are wilting and dying.
This artistic direction is a major part of Susanne’s current identity.
What Is Susanne’s Aqua Flora Series?
One of her most distinctive projects is called Aqua Flora.
Susanne began experimenting with underwater photography and flowers.
She submerged flowers in water and photographed the shapes, colors, movement, and distortion created by the water.
She has explained that the process creates abstract compositions that feel almost painterly.
LensCulture also features her Aqua Flora project and identifies her as a Los Angeles-based artist.
This is one of the clearest examples of how Susanne built a completely separate life after leaving Dodi.
Was Susanne Always Interested in Art?
Her current artist profile says art has long played an important role in her life.
She has a background in classical painting and drawing, though photography became her strongest creative interest.
During the pandemic, she began experimenting more seriously with underwater photography.
According to her LensCulture profile, a planned model did not show up one day, so she brought flowers into the water instead.
That unexpected change led to the Aqua Flora series.
It is an interesting creative story.
A failed photo session turned into a new artistic direction.
Does Susanne Still Model?
There is no strong evidence that Susanne remains active as a professional fashion model in 2026.
Her public professional identity today is much more closely connected with art and photography.
Her modeling work belongs mainly to her younger years.
That said, the creative skills involved are not completely unrelated.
Fashion modeling depends heavily on visual composition, light, movement, and image-making.
Those same visual instincts may have influenced her later photography.
What Is Susanne Gregard’s Net Worth?
Susanne’s personal net worth is not reliably documented.
Her former husband came from enormous wealth.
But that does not mean Dodi’s family fortune became hers.
They were married for only eight months.
Susanne later built her own life through modeling, acting, art, photography, and her second marriage.
Without public financial statements, investments, property records, or business valuations, there is no responsible way to give her an exact fortune.
Celebrity websites that publish a precise number should therefore be treated cautiously.
Where Does Susanne Live Now?
Susanne’s own professional website identifies her as living and working in Los Angeles.
That is enough to understand her current professional base.
There is no need to publish a private street address.
She appears to have remained strongly connected with Southern California for many years.
Her artwork, photography, family life, and second marriage are all associated with that area.
Is Susanne Gregard Still Married?
Recent profiles continue to identify Susanne as married to Philippe Quilici.
Their marriage began in 1992.
That means by 2026 they have been together for more than three decades.
This is a dramatic contrast with her marriage to Dodi.
Her first marriage lasted less than a year.
Her later marriage has lasted decades.
Why Is Susanne Gregard Still Searched Today?
The answer is mostly Dodi Fayed.
Interest in Dodi increased again when The Crown dramatized the final months of Princess Diana’s life.
Viewers began searching his background.
Who was he?
Who had he dated?
Had he been married before Diana?
The answer to that final question leads directly to Susanne.
She was not his girlfriend.
She was his only wife.
Their marriage may have been short, but it remains an important part of Dodi’s personal history.
Susanne Knew a Different Dodi Than the Public Did
The Dodi remembered today is usually frozen in the summer of 1997.
He is shown on yachts.
Beside Diana.
Surrounded by photographers.
Then remembered through the tragedy in Paris.
Susanne knew him more than a decade earlier.
She experienced his intense romantic side.
She saw the luxury.
She dealt with the bodyguards.
She lived in the expensive Manhattan townhouse.
She also experienced the difficulty of trying to maintain her own career while married to someone constantly traveling.
That makes her memories especially valuable.
They show a more ordinary human side beneath the extraordinary wealth.
Interesting Facts About Susanne Gregard
Susanne Gregard was Dodi Fayed’s only wife.
She worked as a model before and during their relationship.
Dodi reportedly flew her to London on Concorde while courting her.
They married on December 31, 1986.
Their marriage lasted only about eight months.
Susanne initiated the divorce, while Dodi reportedly wanted to reconcile.
They had no children together.
Susanne later married surgeon Philippe Quilici.
She now works as a mixed-media artist and photographer in Los Angeles.
Her current photography includes the Aqua Flora series, which uses flowers submerged in water.
What Is Susanne Gregard Doing in 2026?
As of 2026, Susanne’s clearest public professional identity is in art and photography.
Her official website remains focused on her visual work and identifies her as a Los Angeles-based artist.
She continues to be associated with floral and underwater photography.
Her life today appears far removed from the intense celebrity attention surrounding Dodi Fayed.
That distance may be exactly what she wanted.
After experiencing private jets, Concorde flights, bodyguards, luxury homes, and one of the world’s wealthiest families, she eventually created a life centered on family and art.
Final Thoughts
Susanne Gregard is often introduced with only one sentence:
Dodi Fayed’s ex-wife.
That is accurate.
But it misses most of her story.
She was a young American model when Dodi met her in the mid-1980s.
He pursued her intensely.
He flew her to London.
He arranged modeling work at Harrods when she hesitated to stay longer.
And then, almost impulsively, he decided he wanted to marry her.
They married at the end of 1986.
The romance was passionate.
The marriage was much harder.
Dodi traveled constantly.
Susanne wanted to continue modeling.
Security surrounded them.
They struggled to spend ordinary private time together.
After only about eight months, Susanne decided to end the marriage.
Dodi tried to reconcile.
But they remained divorced.
A decade later, when the world knew Dodi because of Princess Diana, Susanne still remembered him kindly.
She talked about his humor.
His romantic side.
And the moments that had made her laugh.
Dodi died in Paris on August 31, 1997, beside Diana.
Susanne lived on.
She remarried.
She built a family.
And eventually she created another professional identity as Susanne Quilici, a photographer and mixed-media artist working in Los Angeles.
Today, her Aqua Flora photographs are perhaps the best symbol of that later life.
Flowers moving underwater.
Shapes changing.
Colors shifting.
Something familiar becoming something completely different.
Susanne Gregard’s life changed just as dramatically.
She went from modeling and an eight-month marriage inside Dodi Fayed’s extravagant world to decades of family life and a creative career built around photography.
That makes her more than a footnote in the story of Dodi and Diana.
She has a story of her own.
For more carefully researched celebrity biographies and family stories, visit Charles Magazine.
FAQs About Susanne Gregard
Who is Susanne Gregard?
Susanne Gregard is an American former model and actress who was Dodi Fayed’s only wife. She later became a photographer and mixed-media artist under the name Susanne Quilici.
When did Susanne Gregard marry Dodi Fayed?
IMDb records their wedding date as December 31, 1986. They divorced about eight months later in 1987.
Why did Susanne Gregard divorce Dodi Fayed?
Susanne later said distance, Dodi’s frequent travel, and the lack of privacy caused by constant security made the marriage difficult. She ultimately initiated the divorce.
Did Susanne Gregard and Dodi Fayed have children?
No. They did not have children together.
Did Susanne Gregard remarry?
Yes. She later married surgeon Philippe Quilici in 1992. Recent profiles continue to identify them as married.
What does Susanne Gregard do now?
She works as a mixed-media artist and photographer in Los Angeles. Her current work includes the Aqua Flora series of underwater flower photography.
Is Susanne Gregard still alive?
Yes. Her current professional art website remains active and identifies her as a Los Angeles-based artist and photographer.
