British Police Open Investigation into Possible Scandal Surrounding Prince Charles Foundation
British police are investigating whether specific donations to Prince Charles’ foundation were rewarded with royal honours and support for a Saudi businessman’s naturalization application.
“The Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into possible breaches of the Honors Act 1925,” Scotland Yard said on Wednesday. No arrests have been made, according to the service.
The investigation comes after the police received a letter with incriminating elements in September 2021. For example, Prince Charles’ former adviser and right-hand man, Michael Fawcett, is suspected of using his influence to help Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz win an award.
According to the Sunday Times, 51-year-old Mahfouz was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Prince Charles in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November 2016. According to the newspaper, the award was used to support Mahfouz’s application for British citizenship. In exchange, the businessman would have come up with a lot of money for restoration projects. Although Michael Fawcett resigned in November 2021, Mahfouz denies doing anything wrong.
At the same time, the press also announced that Prince Charles’s charity had taken hundreds of thousands of euros from a Russian donor. An independent body that oversees charities in Scotland launched an investigation, and the foundation’s chairman, Douglas Connell, resigned.