For the first time, one of Prince Charles’ top aides responded in detail to reports released over the weekend that between 2011 and 2015, the prince received € 3 million in cash in bags from a Qatari sheikh for his charity. Speaking to The Sunday Times about the allegations, the aide said: “As we said at the weekend, he was immediately transferred to his charities and it was his charities that decided to accept the money. “This is a decision for them, and they did, and as they confirmed that it followed all the right procedures, the auditors looked into it.” They added: “The Prince of Wales is acting on advice. Situations, contexts change over the years. “For more than half a decade, with the situation as it has been, it has not happened – and it would not happen again. That was then, this is now, and it is not the same.” The three sums, totaling 3m euros, were personally handed over to the prince between 2011 and 2015 by former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, known as HBJ. He claims that in one case, he gave the prince 1 million euros allegedly stuffed in carrying bags by Fortnum & Mason, the luxury food store with a royal fare to provide the royal family with groceries. Clarence House insists that all the proper procedures regarding donations have been followed. The cash payments were deposited in the accounts of the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund (PWCF), an entity that funds the prince’s private projects and his country’s property in Scotland, he added. The Republic campaign team had called for a full revelation, describing the events as “shocking” and saying it raised “serious questions about the Charles crisis” amid other allegations of cash prices. The senior aide to the palace went on to stress that the Charity Committee has not launched an investigation. On Monday, the charity said it was aware of reports of donations and was investigating the matter. He said: “We will look at the information to see if there is a role for the Commission in this matter.” Charities are allowed to accept cash donations and there is no indication that anything about the payments was illegal. In February, Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into an alleged cash-for-price scandal following allegations by Charles and his former close confidant, Michael Fawcett, of the allegations. Mr Fawcett has been accused of vowing to help secure the title of knight and British citizenship to a Saudi billionaire donor linked to another Charles charity, the Prince Foundation. Clarence House said the prince “had no knowledge” of the alleged cash price scandal. Today the Prince of Wales was asked about the latest reports during an engagement in Edinburgh but did not answer. He was in town to preview a sculpture dedicated to NHS workers who contributed during the pandemic to the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. Last month, he was announced as their new patron, succeeding his father, the Duke of Edinburgh.
