Prince Charles took bags stuffed with millions in cash from a controversial Arab sheikh to fund his charity and private estate, according to a bombshell report by The Sunday Times.
The heir to the British throne took the money in suitcases, shopping bags, and a duffle bag between 2011 and 2015 from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar according to the report. The money was reportedly handed over in secret meetings at Prince Charles’ official London residence, Clarence House.
“Everyone felt very uncomfortable about the situation,” a former adviser to Prince Charles told the newspaper. “The only thing we could do was to count the money and make a mutual record of what we’d done. And then call the bank.”
Royalty are not waging a War on Cash then! 🤑👑
“Prince Charles accepted €1m cash in suitcase from sheikh” https://t.co/gqV0MX7WlR
— Laura Dodsworth (@BareReality) June 26, 2022
The money, totaling €3 million, which is approximately $3.68 million, went to the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund, a charity that funds Prince Charles’ pet projects and supports his Scottish country estate, according to the Times.
Al Thani, 62, was prime minister of Qatar from 2007 until 2013. His great uncle founded the nation in 1971, and his cousin is the current emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Al Thani is a billionaire and owns 3% of Deutsche Bank.
A Clarence House official insisted that the donations were correctly reported, and there was no allegation the payments were illegal.
“Charitable donations received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim were passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed,” the prince’s office said in a statement on Sunday.
But the report is likely to renew criticism of the prince selling access. Last year, his longtime aide Michael Fawcett was fired from a separate charity, the Prince’s Foundation, amid allegations he used his influence to get a visa and royal honors for a Saudi billionaire.
Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars for the honorary title of “Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire,” according to The Sunday Times. Fawcett was allegedly paid to secure the title and help Mahfouz land a “golden visa” and future UK citizenship.
Prince Charles personally bestowed the award upon Mahfouz at an unpublicized 2016 ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
London police are currently investigating that case, although Clarence House has said Charles had no knowledge of any pay-for-access deals.
Source: Dailywire
