According to a Sunday Times investigation, published on July 31, Prince Charles’ charitable foundation accepted a donation of one million pounds from the family of Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks. image of the heir to the throne is a little more tarnished, while he multiplies the scandals linked to donors.
A “carefully studied” donation, according to the foundation
The Prince of Wale’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) has received a donation of more than a million pounds from the half-brothers of terrorist Osama bin Laden, according to the Sunday Times. The article reveals that the heir to the British crown would have personally received Bakr bin Laden at his official residence, Clarence House, on October 30, 2013.
The royal house in London quickly disputed these statements, saying that Prince Charles did not make the decision himself to accept the sum. According to Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman of the charitable foundation: “Sheikh Bakr Bin Laden’s donation in 2013 was carefully reviewed by the directors of the PWCF at the time. A thorough investigation was carried out, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including the government. The decision to accept the donation was made entirely by the administrators.”.
The members of the foundation have also judged that the terrorist acts of Osama bin Laden should not “tarnish the family”. In truth, this new outcry especially embarrasses Prince Charles, who multiplies the scandals linked to donors.
The embarrassing donations collected by the PWCF
Earlier this year, an investigation was opened by Scotland Yard into the prince’s former assistant valet, Michael Fawcett, who allegedly used his influence to help Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz “to obtain a decoration”. Prince Charles so named the Saudi man “Commander of the British Empire”a title that supports the application for British nationality, according to the Sunday Times.
Furthermore, the Point indicates that the PWCF “would have agreed to receive several hundred thousand euros from a Russian donor”. Denying the facts, the president of the charitable foundation Douglas Connell had resigned in 2021. But the case was investigated.
In June, according to new revelations from the Sunday Times, Prince Charles would have accepted nearly three million euros in cash and in installments, between 2011 and 2015 from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, former Prime Minister of Qatar. These donations were collected during a meeting at his official residence in Clarence House. “Charitable donations received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim were forwarded immediately to one of the prince’s charities, who carried out proper governance and assured us that all procedures had been followed correctly”however, said a statement from Clarence House.
In reality, Prince Charles did not commit illegal transactions, but “his mistake is to have privately accepted large sums from foreign businessmen – some of whom have been accused of dishonesty, instead of collecting these funds transparently”noted investigative journalist Tom Bower in the Daily Mail.
While Prince Charles is to succeed Queen Elizabeth II, his popularity rating is down sharply with the British, who tend to prefer Prince William…