Did Prince Charles Accept Money From Osama Bin Laden's Family?
Prince Charles is back in hot water over more shady financial transactions. The Prince of Wales became embroiled in a "cash for honorary titles" scandal after The Sunday Times reported a Saudi businessman was awarded a CBE in 2016 in return for donating "tens of thousands of pounds" to The Prince's Foundation. Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz had been seeking a title to bolster his British citizenship application. The agreement to bestow him an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was said to be facilitated by Michael Fawcett, Charles' most-trusted aide.
At the time, Fawcett was the chief executive of The Prince's Foundation. The charity funds causes close to Charles' heart, such as environmental issues, sustainable living, and educational programs. Fawcett reportedly used his position within the foundation and his relationship with the heir to the throne to help seal the title deal.
According to the Daily Mail, Fawcett left the charity after news of the scandal broke and an investigation was launched. "Michael has resigned, and he will never be coming back. He has lost five stone in weight and is a shadow of his former self," a source said at the time. "The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities and fully supports the investigation now underway by The Prince's Foundation," Clarence House insisted in a statement (via Newsweek). But now, people are also asking if Charles accepted money from Osama Bin Laden's family.
Osama Bin Laden's brothers made it rain on Prince Charles
Prince Charles' latest scandal couldn't come at a worse time for him. In April 2022, after waiting in the wings for 73 years, Queen Elizabeth finally asked Charles to represent her in an official capacity. The Prince of Wales filled in for his mother during the Maundy Service at St. George's Chapel. "It is the first time the queen has asked [Charles] to step in," the Daily Mail's royal reporter Rebecca English tweeted. "Her Majesty was keen that the service was confirmed and all the recipients were aware," she concluded.
Charles has begun stepping up more regularly and increasing his public profile as the "cash for honorary titles" scandal seemingly started to cool down. Charles and Camilla even made a cameo on the long-running British soap opera "EastEnders" as part of the queen's jubilee celebrations. And, per Town & Country, it appears that Elizabeth has been slowly passing over the royal reins to Charles as her health declines.
Following the humiliation of the Prince Andrew controversy, the last thing the royals need is yet another scandal. The future king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland taking money from the family of one of the world's most notorious and hated terrorists is guaranteed to add to the queen's horribiles curarum. With that said, The Sunday Times reports that Charles accepted £1 million from Osama Bin Laden's half-brothers, despite being advised otherwise.
Prince Charles was reportedly advised not to accept Bin Laden family money
Prince Charles has £100 million in the bank and is also paid an annual salary of £20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, the prince continues to accept dodgy dough, even sparking an investigation over the aforementioned "cash for honorary titles" scandal. Charles appears incapable of saying no when it comes to generous outsiders making it rain, regardless of who's splashing the cash.
The Sunday Times reports that the Prince of Wales enjoyed another shady rainy day thanks to Bakr and Shafiq Bin Laden. The two Saudi billionaires donated £1 million to The Prince of Wales' Charitable Fund (PWCF). The handout occurred in 2013, two years after their half-brother, the former Al-Queada leader and 9/11 mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, was killed. The Times reported that numerous sources told them that Clarence House's royal advisors warned Charles not to accept the Bin Laden benefaction, even though Osama was disowned by his family in 1994.
However, PWCF's chairman, Sir Ian Cheshire, blamed it on the trustees and insisted that Charles had nothing to do with the transaction. Cheshire insisted the charity's trustees had spent considerable time mulling over the issue before agreeing to accept the money. "Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government," he claimed. "The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate."
Prince Charles has a Middle Eastern handout history
Prince Charles has history when it comes to murky Middle Eastern endowments. And, it appears that The Sunday Times has a history of having an insider track on the transactions. The paper, owned by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, is the premier source for the Prince of Wales' reported monetary misdeeds.
The Sunday Times noted that Charles walked away with a suitcase stuffed with a million euros following a meeting with Qatar's former prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim. The paper said that the suitcase-stuffed exchange occurred not once, but three times. According to The Times, Charles' one-on-one meetings with Bin Jassim occurred between 2011 and 2015, resulting in a total donation of three million euros in cold, hard cash. Begging the question, how large was the suitcase, and did it have wheels? Thankfully, the newspaper was also able to cover that.
The Times claimed that in addition to a suitcase, cash donations were also made in a "holdall" and in multiple plastic carrier bags from the department store Fortnum and Mason. A spokesperson insisted all of the money was immediately passed on to one of Charles' stable of charities and that everything was totally above board.