london – were prince charles, The heir to the British throne, on Monday, 6, tried to distance himself from a scandal involving a former royal aide who may have promised a billionaire Saudi donor the title of nobility. A spokesman for Clarence House, Charles’ official residence, was quoted by the press as saying: “The prince has no knowledge of the transaction.” United Kingdom.
Michael Fawcett, an official close to the prince, was accused on Sunday of promising help in granting him British citizenship and knighthood. Mahfouz Mary Mubarak bin Mahfouz, One of the great supporters of the Prince Foundation, created by Charles in 1986. The allegations were made by the newspapers mail on sunday I The Sunday Times.
Mahfouz reportedly donated £1.5 million (approximately R$10 million) to Charles for the restoration of projects of personal interest, including Castle May. Scotland. The central point is the donation made to the renovation project of Dumfries House, also a mansion in Scotland, where a garden and a fountain are named after the prince. According to Sunday TimesMahfouz denied any wrongdoing.
In a private ceremony in 2016, Charles awarded Mahfouz the honorary title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. hey mail on sunday Published a purported letter from 2017, in which Fawcett said he was ready to change the title to knighthood, as well as support Mahfouz’s application for citizenship.
Written on letterhead and signed by Fawcett, then-chairman of the Dumfries House Trust, it said the request would be made in response to “the most recent and expected support” of Charles’ foundation.
Following the allegations, Fawcett temporarily stepped down as chief executive of the Prince Foundation. This Monday, he remained silent when reporters questioned whether he had given Mahfouz a “guarantee of respect for money”.
Fox News reported that so far two complaints have been filed against Charles with the Metropolitan Police. Graham Smith, chief executive of the political organization Republic, said he had condemned Charles and Fawcett for suspected violations of the Honor Act of 1925.
Norman Baker, former member of the British Parliament british royal familyasked Metropolitan Policy Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to launch a criminal investigation into the matter. “If politicians were committed to selling honor or supporting citizens, they would be in trouble. And the same should be true for Prince Charles,” he said.
hey Timesof London, reported that Charles would be “100%” up for an offer to help the Saudi billionaire, according to a stockbroker, whom the newspaper described as a “payment advisor to Mahfouz”. Charles reportedly met the Saudi billionaire in 2014 and 2015 at Riyadh, Clarence House and Dumfries House.
The Prince Foundation has started its investigation. Clarence House said in a statement Monday that Charles supports the investigation. “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of an honor given or an offer of British citizenship based on his donation and fully supports the ongoing investigation.” / Reuters
