Charles walks away from ‘gentry sale’ scandal

London – THE Prince Charles, The heir to the British throne, 6, tried on Monday to distance himself from a scandal involving a former royal aide who was to be promised a title of nobility to a Saudi billionaire donor. The press quoted a spokesman for Clarence House, Charles’ official residence, as saying that “the Prince has no knowledge of the transactions.” United kingdom.

Michael Fawcett, an official close to the prince, was charged on Sunday with pledging to help award British citizenship the Order of Knighthood to Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, One of the biggest supporters of the Prince Foundation, which was established by Charles in 1986. The accusations were brought by the newspapers mail on sunday NS Sunday times.

Mahfouz has reportedly donated £1.5 million (about R$10 million) to restoration projects of particular importance to Charles, including Castle Mey in Scotland. The focal point is the donation made to a project to renovate Dumfries House, a palace also in Scotland, whose garden and fountain are named after the Prince. according to Sunday timesMahfouz denied any wrongdoing.

In a private ceremony in 2016, Charles Mahfouz was awarded the honorary title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. NS mail on sunday He posted an alleged letter, from 2017, in which Fawcett stated that he was willing to change the title to a knighthood, as well as supporting Mahfouz’s application for citizenship.

Written on official paper and signed by Fawcett, president of the Dumfries House Trust, he said the applications would be in response to the “latest and anticipated support” of the Charles Foundation.

Following the allegations, Fawcett temporarily resigned from his position as CEO of The Prince’s Foundation. This Monday, he was silent when reporters questioned whether he had “guaranteed honors for the money” for Mahfouz.

Fox News reports that so far, two complaints against Charles have been filed with the Metropolitan Police. Graham Smith, chief executive of the political organization Republic, said he denounced Charles and Fawcett for their suspected violations of the 1925 Honor Act.

Former British Member of Parliament Norman Baker, a critic of british royal familyCressida Dick, Commissioner of Metropolitan Policy, has asked to initiate a criminal investigation into the case. If politicians are committed to selling homage or giving support to citizens, they will be in trouble. And the same should be true of Prince Charles.

NS timesFrom London, he reported that Charles would be “100%” up to offer to help the Saudi billionaire, according to a stockbroker who was described by the newspaper as a “paid advisor to Mahfouz”. Charles reportedly met the Saudi billionaire in Riyadh, Clarence House and Dumfries House in 2014 and 2015.

The Prince’s Foundation has launched its own investigation. In a statement on Monday, Clarence House said Charles supported the investigation. “The Prince of Wales is not aware of the award of the honor or British citizenship on the basis of a donation to his charities and fully supports the ongoing investigation.” / Reuters