Prince Charles, a member of the UK royal family, accepted a briefcase containing a million euros in cash from former Qatar prime minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim, according to a report by the Sunday Times.
The Prince of Wales accepted three cash donations from the Qatar prime minister which totalled three million euros.
Clarence House, the official residence of the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, said the donations from the Qatari sheik were passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities in accordance with all processes.
No suggestions were made regarding the legality of the payments.
Prince Charles received the three donations from Hamad bin Jassim between 2011 and 2015.
On one occasion, money was transferred using a holdall at a meeting inside the Clarence House. On another occasion, carrier bags from the department store Fortnum and Mason were used to hand over cash.
“Charitable donations received from Sheik Hamad bin Jassim were passed immediately to one of the prince’s charities, who carried out the appropriate governance and have assured us that all the correct processes were followed,” the Clarence House said in a statement.
It also said that Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund received the money with which it aims to ‘transform lives and build sustainable communities’ by ‘awarding grants to good causes in fields such as conservation, education, health and social inclusion’.
They also told the Sunday Times that the fund’s trustees concurred on the legitimacy of the donor and the auditors signed off on the donation.
Donations to the charities run by Prince Charles recently came under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that one of them offered a Saudi donor help to secure a UK honor and citizenship.
The UK’s Metropolitan Police have been investigating claims related to the Prince’s Foundation under the Honors (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 since the beginning of this year.
The foundation run by Prince Charles is offering its full-cooperation, according to the BBC and the Clarence House said Prince Charles was unaware of the alleged offer of honors or citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities.
In November, Michael Fawcett, the prince’s former valet and chief executive of the foundation, resigned as the charity was investigating the claims that arose.
It was found that Fawcett co-ordinated with “fixers” over an honorary CBE for billionaire businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, who denies any wrongdoing. It was found later that there was no evidence which indicated the trustees were aware of the coordination.
(with inputs from The Times and the BBC)
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