No Exceptions: Even £1.5 billion Superstore Owners Face the Wrath of the London Street Warden

Not much has been heard of the new owners of Harrods since they bought the £1.5 billion store from Mohamed al Fayed in April. That is until this weekend when two supercars owned by the oil-rich Al-Thani royal family were clamped outside Harrods for being parked illegally—much to the amusement of passersby.

The Koenigsegg CCXR valued at £1.2 million and £350,000 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, both in light blue are extremely rare Supercars—the Swedish-made Koenigsegg is one of only six ever made.

Yet, despite being parked by the owners of the high-profile store and in front of the building that they now own, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea was not making any exceptions.

The council said £120 penalty charge notices were issued, but the cars were released for £70 each as the fines were paid within 14 days.

A spokesman said: “There is a greater shortage of parking space for residents in Kensington and Chelsea than practically anywhere else in the country.

“At the same time we have a huge number of visiting motorists attracted here by our fine shops, restaurants and other attractions.

“Our priority is our residents. To keep space available for them, we must deter visitors from taking up residents’ bays and our experience is that clamping is simply the most effective deterrent.”

Harrods was bought in April by the Qatar Holding group, led by the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani.