Who was promised knighthood and citizenship in exchange for donations to Prince Charles’
charity?
The future king has been in hot water over scandals involving his foundation — and
his troubles don't look like they'll be disappearing anytime soon.
Keep watching to find out more.
The Prince of Wales has already been dealing with allegations that he accepted $3 million
in cash donations from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the controversial former
prime minister of Qatar.
According to a report in The Times, Charles accepted suitcases and shopping bags filled
with money between 2011 and 2015, and deposited the funds into the Prince of Wales' Charitable
Fund (also known as the PWCF).
While Charles' office said there was nothing inappropriate or illegal about the donations,
the scandals didn't stop there.
The future king has also been accused of giving Lord David Brownlow an honorary title after
Brownlow reportedly gave millions of pounds in donations to the prince's foundation and
also helped bail out the organization's failing property development project in Scotland,
according to The Guardian.
As a result, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is investigating the property transactions.
And things are about to get a lot worse for Charles, who is now being accused of accepting
money from the family of the world's most notorious terrorist.
A new report alleges that Prince Charles accepted a £1 million donation for his charitable
organization from the family of terrorist Osama bin Laden, who was the mastermind behind
the September 11th attacks on the United States, per Britannica.
According to The Sunday Times, Charles took the money after a meeting in October 2013
at his private London residence with Bakr bin Laden, who made the donation along with
his brother, Shafiq bin Laden.
Despite their relation to half-brother Osama, there has never been any evidence that Bakr
or Shafiq have been involved in terrorist activities.
In fact, the wealthy bin Laden family have publicly spoken out against Osama, according
to Daily Beast.
Still, The Sunday Times report contends that Charles decided to ignore the, quote, "initial
objection of advisers at Clarence House," as well as the PWCF, and accept the money.
His office denied any wrongdoing regarding the decision.
Sir Ian Cheshire [CHEH-shr], chairman of PWCF, said in a statement, per The Guardian,
"Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including
government.
The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees.
Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate."
There is some good news for Prince Charles.
The Charities Commission, which registers and oversees charities in England and Wales,
has decided not to investigate the £2.5 million donation given to the Prince of Wales's Charitable
Fund by Sheikh Hamad bin Jasseim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar.
The U.K. watchdog said it has, quote, "no concerns" about the funds.
The organization said, per the BBC.
"We have assessed the information provided by the charity and have determined there is
no further regulatory role for the commission."
However, the Metropolitan Police are investigating whether the prince's foundation offered special
privileges in exchange for money.
The probe was launched in February 2022 after allegations that Charles' former valet, Michael
Fawcett, promised a Saudi Arabian businessman knighthood and British citizenship in exchange
for donations to the foundation, per ITV.
As a result, Fawcett — known to be the future king's right-hand man — resigned in November
2021, per the Daily Mail.
A source explained,
"Michael will have no more dealings with either His Royal Highness or Clarence House from
now on.
That is absolutely clear.
He's not coming back in any way, shape or form, that cannot be stressed enough."
While Prince Charles is already making plans for his ascension to the throne as and when
Queen Elizabeth dies, the ongoing scandals involving his charity have led to questions
about whether or not he will be a beneficial king.
Norman Baker, an expert on royal finances, told The Sunday Times,
"A million euros in cash stuffed into bags, or shoved into a holdall [HOLE-dawl] or a
suitcase, and handed over behind closed doors is what you might expect from a South American
drug baron, not the heir to the British throne.
This is grubby, scuzzy behavior, which reinforces the view many are reaching, that Charles is
not fit to be king."
Chief royal correspondent Jack Royston agrees that Charles' transition from prince to king
might not be a smooth one.
Royston told Newsweek,
"Prince Charles is going to have a battle on his hands basically because he has these
twin problems of one, the public starting position is that they are nowhere near as
warm to him as they are to the queen."
The prince's second issue, according to Royston, is his subpar decision-making skills.
Royston explained,
"Some of his decisions have arguably been quite questionable, for example he brought
back one of his aides Michael Fawcett twice only for Fawcett to have to resign against
the backdrop of a police investigation into Charles' charities.
So some of his decision making over the years has arguably been a bit questionable."