British royalty take another hit, this time aimed at Prince Charles. The son of Queen Elizabeth II is investigated by the police for allegations of corruption: he offered titles in exchange for money.
Scotland Yard explained in a statement that they received a letter in September 2021 accusing Prince Charles of bribery. “It is related (the letter) to press reports about alleged offers of help to guarantee honors and citizenship for a Saudi citizen.”
The London security body contacted “suspicious people” and the prince’s foundation to obtain “relevant information” and documents to start building the case.
Prince Andrew could stop being Duke of York
Prince Charles bribes
It all started in September last year, when the UK newspapers the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday revealed that the heir to the throne’s former personal assistant, Michael Fawcett, allegedly used his influence to help Saudi businessman Mahfuz Marei Mubarak Bin Mahfuz, a “generous” donor to charities linked to the British monarchy, to obtain an award.
The Saudi businessman was appointed Commander of the British Empire by Prince Charles in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November 2016.
This distinction was important to support the application for British citizenship of the 51-year-old man, who would have donated exuberant sums of money for restoration projects to the prince’s foundation. The Saudi denies the media’s claims.
Assistant’s Resignation
Michael Fawcett has been working with the royal family for more than 40 years. The British began as a servant of the queen in 1981 and rose to become the personal assistant of Carlos de Gales.
In 2003, he was singled out for charges of “financial misconduct” in connection with the sale of gifts to royalty. The prince defended him, but he resigned his position and became the director of The Prince’s Foundation.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Fawcett wrote in a 2017 letter to Mahfouz’s assistant:
I am happy to confirm, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the citizenship application. I can further confirm that we are willing to make a request to increase Her Excellency’s honor from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majesty’s Honor Committee. Both requests will be made in response to the most recent and anticipated support from The Trust, and in connection with its ongoing engagement generally within the UK.
In response, former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker wrote to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick urging a police investigation.
In November 2021, Fawcett resigned from his position as CEO of The Prince’s Foundation.
The president of the foundation also resigns
The president of the foundation of Lady Di’s widower, Douglas Connell also resigned last year, denying any wrongdoing. This after the press revealed that they had accepted hundreds of thousands of euros from a Russian banker named Dmitri Leous.
The independent body that regulates charities in Scotland launched an investigation at the time. Prince Charles reportedly wrote a letter thanking Leous for donating 500,000 pounds ($692,000) in 2021. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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