Prince Charles denies wrongdoing for reportedly accepting bags of cash
Prince Charles reportedly accepted a suitcase containing €1 million ($NZD 1.67 million) in cash from a Qatari sheikh in 2015, according to recent reports - and it is one of three payments that will be reviewed by the UK’s Charity Commission.
According to The Sunday Times, the senior royal received a total of €3 million ($NZD 5.02 million) from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar, between 2011 and 2015.
Clarence House has denied that there was any wrongdoing in Charles’ acceptance of the money as charity donations and said the money was “passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities who carried out the appropriate covenants and assured us that all the correct processes were followed”.
On one occasion, Charles reportedly received €1 million in carrier bags from high-end grocer Fortnum & Mason.
At another, in 2015, Charles accepted another €1 million in a holdall during a one-on-one meeting at Clarence House.
Two advisors from the royal household reportedly counted the cash by hand, which was said to be made up of now-discontinued €500 notes, which earned the nickname “bin Laden” because of links to funding terrorism, per 9Honey.
The money was understood to have been collected by private bank Coutts, with each payment being deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Fund (PWCF).
As the prince’s meetings with Hamad were private, they don’t appear in the Court Circular - the official record of court engagements - but they do raise questions about how much Charles knew about the cash and where it came from.
Sir Ian Cheshire, the chairman of PWCF, said on Friday that “there was no failure of governance” in relation to the organisation receiving the funds.
“At a few hours’ notice from The Sunday Times, we have checked into this event in the past, and confirm that the previous trustees of PWCF discussed the governance and donor relationship, (confirming that the donor was a legitimate and verified counterparty) and our auditors signed off on the donation after a specific enquiry during the audit. There was no failure of governance.”
After confirming that he was referring to the 2015 payment, Sir Cheshire added: “I believe the same assurance applied to earlier donations and look forward to confirming that in due course.”
Though there is no suggestion that the payments were illegal, a Charity Commission spokesperson said on Sunday that they will be reviewed by the Commission.
“We are aware of reports about donations received by the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation,” they said in a statement.
“We will review the information to determine whether there is any role for the Commission in this matter.”
It comes as London police continue to investigate a separate allegation that the prince’s top aide, Michael Fawcett, offered to help a Saudi billionaire secure a knighthood and British citizenship if he donated to The Prince’s Foundation, another of Charles’ charities.
Fawcett resigned from his role as chief executive of the foundation in light of the allegations.
“We are disappointed not to have been given more time to look into this matter, which dates from a decade ago,” Clarence House said in relation to reports from The Sunday Times.
“In the few hours we have had on a Saturday, we have confirmed that Charitable donations were received from sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, and these 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.”
Image: @clarencehouse (Instagram)