The money was handed over in a suitcase and in bags from a British department store, and went to the Prince’s charitable foundation.
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Prince Charles had every right to accept money from Qatari sheikh and former Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani. This is how Brandon Lewis, minister for Northern Ireland, reacted to the news in The Sunday Times that between 2011 and 2015, the prince accepted a cash donation from the sheik three times, good for the equivalent of 3 million euros.
Once the money was in a suitcase, a second time in bags from the better department store Fortnum & Mason and the third time in a travel bag. It was presented during meetings at Clarence House, Prince Charles’ residence. The prince’s advisers took it upon themselves to count the cash.
– Qatari sheikh and former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim in 2012. Foto: isopix
Commenting on the news, a Clarence House spokesperson said that “Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim’s donations were immediately transferred to one of the charities, who assured us that all procedures were followed correctly.” That organization was the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund, which said the donor was under investigation and an audit of the donation had a positive result.
The Sunday Times notes itself that there is no indication that the donations were made illegally. Still, the news comes inconvenient for the prince. British police announced earlier this year that they are investigating whether donations to a Prince Charles foundation were rewarded with royal honors and supporting the naturalization application of a Saudi businessman. The investigation comes after the police received a letter with incriminating elements in September 2021. Clarence House responded that the prince was not aware of possible practices to that effect, in which his former right-hand man Michael Fawcett would have been involved.
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