Another real scandal? Prince Charles received one million euros in cash from a Qatari sheikh

A new financial scandal threatens the reputation of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. the prince of wales accepted a suitcase containing 1 million euros in cash by a controversial Qatari politician, as revealed by British Sunday The times of Sunday.

It was the first million ua donation of three million euros of the then Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim al Thani. It was intended for the heir’s charities and his Scottish mansion.

This was announced by the Charity Commission, the organization that oversees donations to charities in Britain what are you checking information on aid and donations to the Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation.

Clarence House, the mansion where the British heir lives, has insured this cash donations are allowed in charities and that the process was “fair”.

“They were immediately handed over to one of the prince’s charities, who carried out the proper process,” a spokesperson said. According to the controllers of those trust funds, the donations were legal and the money “was the form chosen by the donor.”

The money was deposited into a Coutts bank account, in one of the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund accounts, a body that subsidizes the prince’s private projects and his Scottish palace.

personal meeting

The prince personally received the Prime Minister and Sheikh of Qatar at Clarence House. There he gave him a cash bag with the first million euros. It was divided into 500 euro notes.

The delivery was the first of a total of € 3 million, which Prince Charles personally received from Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar, nicknamed “HBJ”, between 2011 and 2015.

According to The times of SundaySheikh Hamad, 62, gave the prince 1 million euros, which would be stuffed into Fortnum & Mason bags, the traditional British warehouse opposite the Ritz hotelwho has a “mandate” from the royal house to provide the prince with food and tea.

Once again, the 73-year-old British prince and next heir accepted a suitcase containing € 1 million during a private meeting at Clarence House in 2015.

After the heir to the throne has accepted the suitcase, he gave it to two councilors of the royal house, who counted the money by hand. They were 500 euro notes, a denomination nicknamed “bin Laden” due to its link to terrorist financing, and which have since been discontinued.

The palace assistants then asked Coutts, the royal bank, to collect the cash. The private bank, which is based on the Strand in central London and has served the royal family for centuries, is believed to have done so. recovered the suitcase from Carlos’ London residence.

Each payment was deposited into the accounts of the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (PWCF), a low-key entity that funds the prince’s domestic projects and his estate in Scotland. There is no suggestion that the payments were illegal.

The prince’s meetings with Sheikh Hamad do not appear in the Court Circular, the list of official commitments made by the royals who work daily for the Crown. Carlos visited Qatar several times after accepting the money, including during Sheikh Hamad’s tenure.

The royal gift policy states that members of the royal family can accept a “check” a sponsor or on behalf of a charity. It says nothing about cash.

money for access

British politics is also investigating a “cash-for-access” culture at Clarence House, the home of the prince, including the sale of honors. Last year, the Sunday Times reported that Michael Fawcett, Charles ‘former butler and Charles’ closest confidant, organized an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for a Saudi billionaire.

This “donation” is inconvenient for the Windsor House, when it is going through one of the worst crises in its history. Prince Andrew was banished from the royal family by decision of Prince Charles and his son William for his involvement in the Epstein affair, despite the court’s agreement with the alleged victim. They won’t let him come back.

The crisis between him and his son, Prince Harry, who accused him of not financing his departure, when he promised to do so, after removing all honorary positions because he was leaving the royal family, has not yet been resolved.

Harry also said that he he had turned down offers of donations of the Saudi businessman, accused of offering money in exchange for honors, because they seemed suspicious.

Prince Charles has waited all his life to replace his mother. The queen has mobility problems and acts like a regent of ceremonies, with great decision-making power.

The question is whether, in the face of these repeated dubious donation operations, ethe heir has the ability not to jeopardize the future of this monarchy this is the House of Windsors, whose mother has led beyond reproach for 70 years. Will the succession jump to Prince William? Another nightmare of abdication for the crown?

Sheikh Hamad served as Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister between 2007 and 2013. During that time, he controlled the country’s $ 250 billion sovereign wealth fund and oversaw the Gulf state’s high-profile investments at Harrods. , the Shard Building and the Olympic Village in London.

He also built close ties with British royalty. Qatar gave Charles a 147,000-pound horse called the Dark Swan e helped maintain one of his castles in Scotland.

Sheikh Hamad, whose personal wealth was once estimated at $ 12 billion, continues to spend several months each year in the UK, a kingdom he considers his second home.

In the midst of the scandal, Prince Charles He was in Rwanda with his wife Camilla representing Queen Elizabeth, at the Commonwealth Conference.

PB